


Accidents Bring Us Closer

by Us_Alive



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Adopted Peter Parker, Avengers Movie Night, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Dark Tony Stark, Domestic Avengers, Hurt May Parker (Spider-Man), Hurt Peter Parker, Jealous Tony Stark, NOT STARKER - Freeform, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Or does he, Panic Attacks, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Possessive Tony Stark, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Avengers, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart, but he didnt ask to be, starts out nice but turns into a shitshow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:27:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 28,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26415643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Us_Alive/pseuds/Us_Alive
Summary: Tony was fine just being Peter's mentor. Until the accident occurs.That's when Tony realizes Peter needs him as more than just a mentor. That's when Tony realizes he needs Peter to be forever safe with him in the Tower. That's when Tony realizes he will do whatever it takes to protect his kid.It's also when he realizes that the means always justify the end when it comes to Peter.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 89
Kudos: 501
Collections: 2.0Marvel





	1. The Accident

The final bell was still ringing as Peter bounced down the steps of midtown. It was lab day! He was going to get to spend hours eating junk food and blasting music with THE Tony Stark while they tinkered with the Iron Man suit and Spiderman’s web-shooters. Peter had so many ideas to improve the web design to be stronger and lighter, that he thought Mr. Stark would be impressed. Peter loved the way Mr. Stark looked at him as he explained everything from thermodynamics to the algebra test that he nailed. Mr. Stark’s eyes would light up, and he would clap him on the back and say ‘nice job kid.’ 

Since Ben died, Peter had felt like he didn’t have someone he could talk to about certain things. May was great and all, and he loved May, but he couldn’t just talk to May about how he was ‘flowering.’ Granted he would never talk to Mr. Stark about THAT, more of just, he understood physics and math the way May just couldn’t. For Peter, Mr. Stark was easy to talk to, he just understood when it felt like no one else would. 

As Peter scanned the pickup line, he looked for Happy’s car. Happy always picked him up for lab day in his black Audi, which at least didn’t stand out too much from the other kids getting rides. There was always Flash and his stupid dad’s car… ugh.

Finally, Peter spotted Happy and ran to his car. Happy did not like to be kept waiting. As he yanked open the passenger door, Happy grunted,

“Backseat kid, bosses orders. He’ll kill me if I let you sit in the front seat, remember last time?” Mr. Stark had flipped out, saying Peter was way too young and small to sit in the front seat, he would go right through the window if anything happened.

“Oh Common!!!” Peter whined.

“Sorry kid I don’t make the rules.” Peter sighed, and crawled into the back seat. 

After Peter buckled in, Happy sped off, clearly not in the mood to talk. Peter opened his mouth to talk, but Happy turned on the music at full blast.

Maybe it was the music. Maybe it was the fact Peter had stayed out until 4 am last night as Spiderman. Maybe it was the Spanish quiz. Whatever it was, Peter didn’t notice his spider-sense flare up until it was too late.

The last thing Peter heard was the truck slamming into the side of Happy’s car. He felt the shards of metal cut through his skin and felt the car flip over and over again. He was unconscious by the second roll.


	2. The Promise

Tony was looking forward to working in the lab with his son… well err Peter. In Tony’s mind, Peter was his son, at least he loved him like his own flesh and blood. Peter was brilliant, fearless, and kind. So kind. if he was Tony’s son biologically, he definitely didn’t inherit Howard’s cold personality. But he was a genius like every other Stark. Tony wanted him to be better, and Peter was. He really loved that kid. 

Tony wanted nothing more than to have Peter as his son. If it wasn’t for Peter’s deep love for his Aunt, Tony would do everything in his power to bring Peter home. But, as long as Peter was safe, that’s all Tony cared about. Tony would do anything for his son… errr Peter. Tony built Spiderman a multi-million-dollar suit to protect him. He built Peter Parker a watch that also included a tracker, a blood pressure monitor, and a heart rate monitor for when he wasn’t in the suit. In Tony’s mind, he needed to protect not just Spiderman, but every day Peter. Queens was dangerous, and the kid had what he called ‘Parker luck.’ Protecting and caring for Peter became a big priority for Tony. If not his top priority. The more times he spent tinkering in the lab with Peter, the more times Peter fell asleep on his shoulder while watching a movie, the more times Peter gave him a hug after an afternoon at the tower, the more he realized he could do this. He could be more than just a mentor to the kid. 

While Tony was distracted thinking about his kid and what he was going to work on today with his kid, he didn’t initially hear the warning sent to his phone about the accident his sensors picked up on Happy’s car. Only when the second warning, which indicated Peter’s heart rate dropped to a dangerous level, did the lab alarms blare at the highest possible level. 

Tony’s head shot up, knowing that the alarms only blasted at full volume if Peter was in serious trouble.

The suit encased Tony immediately, and he took off to the location his alert sent him to. 

Peter’s heart might have been the one that slowed, but Tony felt his own heart stop when he arrived on the scene. 

The car was a mess. There was metal everywhere. But Tony didn’t spare a second glance. He had to find his kid. 

He ripped the backseat door off the car in one swoop. There lay Peter, sprawled out, blood everywhere. As delicately as possible, Tony pulled him out of the car, holding him bridal style. 

“Friday scan him, make sure he’s breathing,” Tony whispered, fear trembling in his voice.

“I detect multiple contusions; it appears he is having difficulty breathing with deep cuts to his lungs.”

Tony looked down at his prodigy with tears in his eyes. He looked so small. So innocent. He didn’t deserve to be covered in blood. Tony pulled him close to his chest and held him tightly as he took off for the tower. 

‘It’s my fault, I should have picked him up. Surprise him you know?’ Tony thought. ‘This never would have happened. I could have stopped it. I should have stopped it.’ Tony’s mind was racing. The more he thought about how he could’ve protected his son, the angrier he got with himself. ‘This will NEVER happen again.’ 

Tony promised himself. He had to. For Peter, his son, he said he would do anything for him. He was going to keep that promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this gives you a better idea of how 'Dark' Tony will be. 
> 
> He just loves his son okay?


	3. The Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter wakes up, and his world is about to change.

The first thing Peter heard was a low beep. It was coming from so far away, maybe it was from the other side of the world. ‘No that can’t be right’ thought Peter. Where was he? Everything felt so confusing. As if Peter was waking up on a cloud. He felt nothing. He only heard a light beep. 

With a lot of effort, Peter opened his eyes. The white light was blinding. Instinctively, Peter tried to shoot both his hands up to cover his eyes. But only his left hand covered his eye. Peter peered down, to see his right arm in a cast. Peter let out a shaky breath, only to feel a searing pain in his chest.

“Owwww” he rasped out, his voice hoarse from lack of use.

“Peter, oh thank god.” Peter turned his head to the familiar voice. He sensed the body hovering over him. Peter felt callused hands running through his curls and looked up. As his sight came into focus, he could see Mr. Stark was right next to his bed. Mr. Stark had deep purple bags under his eyes. His eyes were bright with happiness as he looked down at Peter, but there was also an unsettling hollowness in his eyes. It looked like Mr. Stark had been awake for days. 

“Mr. Stark?” Peter choked out. “Whaa – what happened?”

“Oh Peter, you were in a car accident, do you remember?” Peter shook his head. “You’re in MedBay, you’ve been asleep for 5 days.” As Tony spoke, he thought about the first night they wheeled Peter into the private room after surgery. Peter's soft face was discolored and bruised. His chest was covered in bandages. His right arm was in a cast, holding together the multiple breaks his arm endured from the truck slamming into the right side of the car. The surgeon had told Tony that if Peter had gotten to them later, the amount of blood loss and the amount of blood that seeped into his punctured lungs would have been too much. Peter had been that close to dying. 

“Oh my god!!!” Peter’s eyes widened. It was all coming back to him. The truck. His spider senses flaring up just before he blacked out. “Where’s Happy, is he okay?”

“He’ll be alright too; you got the brunt of the injuries since the truck hit your side.” Tony kept running his hand through Peter’s hair. It felt really nice compared to the pain the rest of his body felt. “Happy was in MedBey, but they released him yesterday so I sent him home for some well-deserved vacation.” 

“Oh.” Peter paused. “What about May?! Shit, she must be freaking out!!!! Did you call her? I should call her and talk to her, let her know I’m awake. Wait she’s probably here-“

“Peter” Tony cut him off. He rehearsed this a thousand times in his head. “May is fine, she wants you to recover here okay? She needs you to stay here since she can’t take care of you. Just get some rest okay?”

“Yea-yea okay Mr. Stark.” Peter thought about what Mr. Stark had just said to him. “Wait what do you mean she can’t take care of me?” 

Tony sighed. This was it.

“It means you’re staying here with me. May agreed you’re in too much danger living with her in that apartment in Queens, you’re safer here with me. She doesn’t want you or the risk you bring. She wants me to adopt you, for you to be Peter Stark, for me to be your dad.”

A tear rolled down Peter’s face. “She doesn’t want me? But-but the accident had nothing to do with her or Queens or me being Spiderman. I don’t get it!” Another tear rolled down Peter's cheek.

Tony leaned down and pulled Peter into a soft hug. “Oh baby I’m so sorry, but I promise, I’ll keep you safe. She’s just not equipped to take care of you. At least she realized it and did the right thing. You and I, we are a family. I will always want you son, I promise”

Peter and Tony stayed like that as Peter sobbed into Tony’s chest. Peter couldn’t believe it. An accident that wasn’t even his fault pushed May away. After everything they had gone through together, why didn't May want him anymore? The shock overtook Peter, and all he could do was cry for May. Cry for his last living relative who no longer wanted him. Cry for his aunt who thought he wasn't worth the trouble. Hadn't he lost enough? How was he not good enough for May? 

Holding Peter in his arms, Tony knew that he did the right thing. His son was safe in his arms and his arms only. May could not have afforded the best medical care. Peter deserved the best care, and Tony knew that only he could offer that. The way Peter clung to him; Tony knew Peter would always need him. Not just to recover from the accident, but also to get over his aunt. Peter would be okay, he’s a tough kid. In fact, Peter would be better. And Tony could offer him so much more. 

As his tears subsided, Tony pulled back. He would have loved to keep holding his son, but he needed to see Peter’s face. His eyes were red and puffy from the crying. Tony wiped away the remaining tears and stroked Peters curls back.

"Thank you." Peter whispered, trying to pull Mr. Stark back to him. Peter desperately wanted the comfort Mr. Stark offered. Instead, Tony rubbed both his shoulders. 

“Pete we’ll be okay, I promise,” Tony spoke softly. Peter nodded ever so slightly. “Are you hungry? I can get them to bring you food. And we can watch a movie, any movie that you want.”

“Empire Strikes Back?” Peter hiccupped.

“For you, anything kid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Anything you want to see happen?


	4. The Guiltless

May was devastated. Heartbroken. After losing Mary, Richard, and Ben, losing Peter was just one too many.

When Tony Stark called five days ago, her life changed for the worse.

Again. 

When he said Peter died in a car accident on the way to lab day, she could hear the grief in Tony’s voice. He almost sounded guilty, like it was his fault. But it wasn’t, it was a truck that lost control and hit her precious nephew, killing him instantly. 

She sobbed into the phone. She couldn’t even stop when Tony started trying to talk after listening to her cry for a good 20 minutes. Peter was too young, too innocent. She couldn’t think about planning another funeral for another loved one. Through her sobs though, Tony offered to plan the funeral and pay for all expenses, the next day too. He said he wanted to do something immediately, while the loss was still fresh. May could not be more grateful.

The funeral service was, as promised, the day after Peter’s car accident. All of Midtown was there. They all gathered around the closed casket next to where Peter would be buried. He would be next to Mary and Richard. At least he could be with his parents again. 

May was grateful for what people said about Peter. Ned spoke about his best friend’s ability to make him laugh. MJ, through tears, said goodbye to her ‘favorite loser.’ Tony spoke about Peter’s genius, the lost potential. They were all going to miss him so much.

May was forever grateful for the closure Tony offered. When Tony approached her at the end of the funeral, offering his condolences, he also came with another offer. What she didn’t expect, was Tony’s offer to help her relocate. After all the losses she’s faced in New York, wouldn’t a fresh start help? Anywhere you want, he offered, he had enough connections all over to get her any job of her choice. He was Ironman after all. He wanted her to be able to move on, and his offer was a godsend. New York was filled with too many memories of Peter. Of Ben. Of Mary and Richard.

May nodded her head. It made sense, right?

Now, five days after the death of her nephew, she was on a plane to Miami, with a job at one of the best hospitals, and a new apartment courtesy of Tony. 

Rich people really can pull things off quickly.

Tony felt zero guilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shortness. I was going to make this chapter three but didn't want to leave you thinking Peter was actually dead.
> 
> That would've been pretty shitty.


	5. The Discharge

“Bruce you cannot be serious; Pete is not ready to leave Medbay!” Tony was worried. Of course, Tony was worried. His friend was trying to let his hurt son leave Medbay when he was still in a cast! 

After Peter woke up three days ago, he slept most of the days away. Only today had he been awake for 6 consecutive hours. The accident had only been 8 days ago, and despite Peter’s fast healing factor, Tony was still worried about Peter. Tony didn't think he'd ever stop worrying.

Other than the funeral Tony hosted 7 days ago for Peter Parker, he had otherwise never left Peter's side. They watched movies, ate meals together, and talked about science. When Peter was asleep Tony watched his chest rise and fall. He listened to his breathing. Seeing and hearing him alive and breathing calmed Tony. Whenever Tony closed his eyes, he saw the car wreck. Peter’s body covered in blood. It unnerved him, and the only cure to his nightmares was Peter. 

“Tones, he’s ready. The punctures to his lungs are completely healed, and he should be able to get his right arm cast removed later this week. Wouldn’t you rather have him up in your Penthouse? You can actually shower, and I don’t know, sleep in a bed that isn’t a hospital chair?”

“Hey I’ll have you know that chair is comfy- “

“No, it’s really not.” Bruce deadpanned, as he opened the door to Peter’s room. 

“Dr. Banner!” An excited Peter sat dangling his legs over the hospital bed. Instead of the hospital nightgown he had been in all week, Peter was dressed in science pun t-shirt and sweatpants. His converses were loosely around his feet, with untied laces pooling on the floor below him. Tony bent down and began tying them, since no way he was he letting Peter trip over the laces.

“How are you feeling Peter?” Bruce asked with a smile. After the surgery to repair Peter’s lungs, Tony insisted that Bruce take over as Peter’s primary doctor. Despite being an enormous green rage monster, there was no one Tony trusted more with Peter’s health.

“I feel great! I’m basically ready to be Spiderman again!” Peter responded, with a grin on his face. 

Bruce adored Peter. Peter was always polite and kind to all the Avengers, and his love and understanding of science was impressive for his age. Bruce could understand why Tony wanted Peter as his son so badly. After Tony explained what he did for Peter to the Avengers, Bruce was skeptical. Lying to his aunt and saying he was dead? That was pretty illegal. Having a fake funeral for the kid? Also a crime. But Tony was smart enough to know how to hack SHIELD computers. He could easily break into any government database he needed and forge a death certificate for Peter Parker and create a new birth certificate for Peter Stark. And Bruce did see Tony’s point. Peter would be better off living with Tony. Tony was basically his dad, making it official just made sense. And after that horrible accident, he could understand why Tony wanted to keep Peter close.

Meanwhile, Tony flinched at the comment. Peter could not go out as Spiderman. At least anytime soon. If Ted or whatever his name was heard Spiderman was out, he would know Peter was alive. That could not happen. Or if May found out… The safest option was to bench Peter. At least for now. Maybe going to the compound would be safer. He could let Peter train, let the whole dead teenager thing die down, and keep Peter away from trouble. Tony knew he couldn’t stop Peter from being Spiderman, but if he could control where he was Spiderman, Tony could make sure he was safe.

“Well, still no physical exercise for a while Peter, your body is still healing. Once you’re all better, Spiderman is up to your dad to decide. But for now, you’re free to go with your dad up to the penthouse.” All this week, everyone had been calling Mr. Stark Peter’s dad. It confused Peter. Mr. Stark was still Mr. Stark to him, should he even be calling him dad? Peter knew that being adopted by Mr. Stark kind of made Mr. Stark his dad, but what about Richard? Peter didn’t have too much time to contemplate his parentage as Mr. Stark was helping pull Peter to his feet. Bruce waved them goodbye as Tony lightly rested his hand on Peter’s back and guided him out the door. 

Tony protectively hovered as Peter walked. Tony would have preferred to just carry Peter, but Peter was clearly excited as he was basically bouncing in each step.

“It’s so cool I’m going to have my own room in the penthouse!!!! That’s so much cooler than the Avenger’s floor. Thank you, Mr. Stark!” Peter grinned up at him, and Tony twitched. He wanted to be called dad by Pete more than anything. 

Before Tony could linger any more on that thought, Peter tripped over nothing. Instinctively, Tony grabbed Peter under the arms, pulling him back up before he could faceplant. 

“Oh thanks, I uhhh guess I’m a little tired.”

“Yea no more injuries, I’m not risking it.” Tony turned Peter around cautiously so they were face to face. 

“What I’m fine, it’s all good, Mr. Stark- “ 

“Like I said, I’m not risking it.” With one fluid motion, Tony hoisted Peter up into his arms like he weighed nothing. He adjusted his hold by putting one arm under Peter’s butt, and the other on Peter’s back, pushing their chests together.

“Mr. Stark you don’t need to carry me.” Peter tried shifting and wiggling, but Tony just tightened his grip.

“Stay still Pete! Or I’ll drop you.”

“That’s fine! You can drop me, I’ll use my spidey senses and land on my feet.”

“Pete no, either I carry you or I’ll put you back in your bed in Medbay. I’m not risking you tripping and hurting yourself!” Tony’s voice was firm, yet Peter could hear the fear in his voice. He could tell that Tony had clearly been rattled by the accident. He felt Tony’s heart beating faster than before.

“Fine,” Peter mumbled. He stopped squirming. Instead, he lifted his arms up and wrapped them around Tony’s neck for support. As they kept walking down the hall, Peter let out a loud yawn and rested his head on Tony’s shoulders. At least this way, he didn’t have to hold up his head. After being awake all day without any naps, Peter had to admit he was really tired. 

Tony grinned to himself. With his son in his arms, he finally felt at peace. Peter was safe. Tony was bringing his son home. He could fulfill his promise to protect his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kind comments!!!
> 
> I think I know where I'm going with this story, but still TBD. Working on trying to make the chapters a little longer.


	6. The Protocols

As the elevator doors to the penthouse opened, Tony looked down at the boy in his arms. His eyes were closed, and he could feel the shallow breaths on his neck. Peter was out cold, understandably, since he had been up for the longest amount of time since the accident. Tony inhaled a deep breath, smelling Peter’s hair. It smelt like the same boy who used to fall asleep watching movies with him after lab days. Pete could really use a shower or a bath, but there was no way Tony was letting him do that while he was this tired. The last thing he wanted was for Peter to drown in a bath. With that harrowing thought, he kissed the top of Peter’s head and held Peter just a little tighter. 

As Tony looked up, he did not expect to see Steve, Natasha, and Clint hanging out in his living room staring at him. Intruders. He just wanted to put his son to bed.

Steve stood up first, with Nat and Clint closely tailing him. Steve stared at Peter knowingly. Since Tony revealed to the Avengers his little spider mentee, the rest of the Avengers liked to spend time with him. Steve and Peter would arm wrestle to see who was stronger. Nat liked to train Peter in combat, and would always try to hide and scare Peter whenever he came for lab time. Clint always shot arrows at Peter, much to Tony’s dismay, but Peter’s spider senses helped him easily dodge the arrows shot by the most skilled archer in the world.

Peter always enjoyed spending time with the other Avengers. But sometimes, Tony would get pretty annoyed when their lab time was interrupted by another Avenger trying to steal Peter’s attention away from him. Peter was always easily distracted and loved to spend time with the others, but Tony used to grunt and complain that they stole his kid from him. Lab time had been so limited in the past. But now, they had all the time in the world. Tony guessed he could share Peter at least a little bit now. But only a little bit.

“How’s Peter doing?” Steve quietly broke the silence as the three approached the father-son duo, attempting to not wake Peter up. Tony sighed.

“He got discharged like 10 minutes ago. The excitement wore him out. I need to put him to bed.”

“Looks like you could use the rest too, Tony,” Steve responded.

“Well Capsicle, unlike you, I have work to do.”

“That includes?” Steve already knew the answer. After the entire team had been debriefed about the accident, and the fact that Tony ‘adopted’ Peter after his aunt ‘abandoned’ him, all Avengers had to promise not to bring up May or Ned or Peter’s fake death or anything from Peter’s past life. They also had to promise to help Tony when the time comes, whatever that meant to the eccentric Tony Stark. Despite their protests about how unethical it was, Tony wouldn’t listen to any of them. Tony was convinced that Peter was better off living with the Avengers. And if anyone disagreed, they were out. It was Tony’s tower after all. So, they all agreed. The more the Avengers thought about it, the more they were okay with it. It was nice to have Peter around, he always made each of their days a little better. And they reasoned Peter would have a much more comfortable life with Tony, one that includes having a father around.

“Upgrades to Friday’s protocols, I have to make sure the kid is safe,” Tony responded, sounding bored and in a rush.

“Do you mean safe from danger or safe from the truth?” Nat quipped. Tony frowned deeply.

“Don’t you dare start with me Romanov.” Tony seethed. “I will do anything to protect him. Peter Parker was in too much danger. He can never return to that life; I won’t allow it. Peter Stark is safe here, where he belongs. If you tell him anything, I swear I’ll-”

“You know I would never do that,” Nat responded. She reached her hand out to rub Peter’s back, but the glare Tony gave her cautioned her against it. “Our little spider is family. I want him here just as much as you do. I’m just worried that he will find out what really happened.”

“He won’t. If Bruce had given me more time, I would have been able to write more protocols before he came home. But I wasn’t given that luxury so here we are. Now if you’ll move, I have work to do.” Tony brushed past the group, heading straight for Peter's room.

Peter’s room was across the hall from his. Tony had to have Peter close to him at all times. And if that wasn’t enough, he decked his son’s large bedroom out with all sorts of tech. While Peter was in MedBay, he ordered the Avengers to install the upgrades to Peter’s room. They had a lot to add. Cameras and sensors to make sure Peter was safe from any intruders or from escaping. A queen bed that monitored Peter’s vitals while he slept to ensure he was getting the best sleep, and that he was going to bed when Tony put him to bed. A desk with all the science textbooks a kid like Peter could ever read, which would help with his homeschooling Tony had planned. Brand new Lego sets that Peter had mentioned wanting in the past. Star Wars posters from Peter’s favorite really old movie. A dresser and closet full of new clothing, including the softest shirts money could buy, jeans, track pants, sneakers, jackets, business suits to match Tony’s suits, Avenger’s themed shirts, underwear, socks, and his all-time favorite, iron man pajamas. Tony hoped Peter would love his new wardrobe as much as Tony did.

Tony brought Peter into the dark bedroom and carried him to the side of the bed. Tony untangled Peter’s limbs from around his neck as delicately as possible. As he gently set Peter down, he looked at his sleeping form. He looked so much younger asleep. His face was relaxed as he slept, with his mop of hair flopping down into his eyes. Thank god that the bruises from the accident were no longer on his face. Tony pushed the curls back and planted a kiss to his forehead. He quickly reached down and untied Peter’s shoes and took them off, setting them down beside the bed. As Tony stood back up, he pulled the covers up to Peter’s chin. He took one last long look at his sleeping son. This would be the first time leaving the same room as his son since the funeral. He didn’t want to, but he had to add some new code to Friday. At least he could leave the room knowing Peter was safe.

Tony kept the door open and went into his office, diagonal from Peter’s room. As Tony plopped down at his desk, he made sure he could still see his son. If he craned his neck, he could see his sleeping son’s form, which provided Tony the needed comfort. 

Tony pulled up Friday’s code and began making the much-needed protocols for both the tower and the compound. He started with his top 15 priorities:

1\. If Peter attempts to leave the building without Tony, go into lockdown mode.  
2\. If Peter attempts to break out of the building using force, sedate him.  
3\. If Peter attempts to open Friday, or trick Friday into allowing him to do something he is not allowed to, alert Tony and lockdown the code.  
4\. If Peter attempts to contact the outside world, shut down the device he is using.  
5\. If the building is under attack or there is an intruder, lockdown whatever room Peter is in and only Tony can unlock the room.  
6\. If the Avengers are called into an active mission, Peter is to be sent to the Penthouse and put under lockdown until their return.  
7\. If Peter attempts to put the Spiderman suit on without Tony’s approval, alert Tony immediately. Peter may wear his Spiderman suit for training purposes in the Compound or Tower only when approved by Tony.  
8\. Alert Tony when Peter wakes up or is having a nightmare.  
9\. Alert Tony if Peter is moving between floors.  
10\. If Peter is bleeding or appears to have any injury, alert Tony and Bruce and request necessary medical assistance.  
11\. If May or Ned or any of Peter’s former associate's come to the tower, lock Peter in his room.  
12\. If Peter sees something he shouldn’t have, the synthesized drug to wipe the last 24 hours of Peter’s memory must be used immediately. It is to be unlocked from the closest location, either from the storage unit within the Ironman suit or from the closest safe that is installed in every single room.  
13\. If Peter asks a question about Tony, Friday is to call Tony ‘Dad’ to Peter.  
14\. If Tony is not available to assist Peter, Steve is to be contacted.  
15\. No one is allowed to take Peter out of the building without Tony’s explicit approval.

After Tony coded his priorities, he kept going. The list went on and on, with hundreds of other protocols. Friday would be integral to Tony’s success at protecting his son. He hoped some of the protocols he put in would never have to be used. But they were necessary. Tony had to keep Peter safe. As Tony continued to code, he periodically glanced towards his son’s room. He could see Peter’s sleeping form under piles of blankets. 

After looking over to Peter's room for the millionth time, Tony decided he couldn’t code anymore. His mind kept drifting to that accident. 

So, Tony looked at Friday’s analysis of the accident. Friday had concluded almost immediately that it was an accident, and there was no suspicious activity. Even though Tony trusted Friday, Tony was still unnerved. Consequently, Tony pulled up Google and looked at every news report he could find from that day. Every reporter said it was an accident. The truck had gone in for service at a mechanic shop to repair a faulty break the day before and was seemingly fixed. Clearly it wasn’t, but the news concluded that it was truly an accident. No foul play. 

‘Hmmmmm’ Tony questioned the authenticity of the report. The news was always full of garbage. So Tony dug deeper. Tony hacked into all the red-light cameras that had a view of the accident. In all cameras, the accident appeared to have nothing out of the ordinary. At least, ordinary for an accident. There didn’t appear to be anyone messing with Happy’s car, the truck, or the red light. Tony hacked into the mechanic shop's site, and it was clean. The employees were all certified mechanics with no criminal record, and the mechanics working on that truck that day were had the best employee performance ratings. As Tony stared at the shop's two best employees, Tony's gut still told him to be skeptical.

Maybe it was his paranoia, but Tony was sure that someone was looking for Peter when the accident happened. But the reports all said otherwise. The shop was clean. Happy clearly didn’t mean to get hit by a truck. The logical conclusion was that it was an accident. It was an accident, and accidents happen. But it would never happen again. Peter would never be in that kind of danger ever again; Tony would make sure of that. The protocols will keep him safe.

‘He’s safe’ Tony thought and sighed with relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm planning on just having the original Avengers team in the story, but I may consider adding in some of the newer Avengers later on. Also, the Avengers moved on from civil war so they like each other I swear


	7. The Nightmare

_Peter looked around the dimly lit hallway of his apartment building in Queen. Peter realized the power must have gone out, it happened often in Queens. But oddly enough, the only light he saw was coming from under his apartment door._

_As he entered the apartment, he called out for May. No response._

__

_He rounded the corner into the living room and saw Ben’s bloody body on the living room floor. Shot in the same place he was the night he died. May was crouched down next to Ben’s body, with a blank face._

____

_“May” Peter called out. No response._

_____ _

_“May?” Peter’s voice echoed off the walls. His voice was filled with concern._

______ _ _

_“It’s your fault he’s dead.” May looked up her eyes blood red. “You killed him. I would have a husband if it wasn’t for you.”_

_______ _ _ _

_“No May please, I didn’t want him to die.” Peter cried out, and he could feel the tears rolling down his face._

________ _ _ _ _

_“But you are why he died. You let him die. It was always your fault. We never wanted to take you in, but we did anyways. And this is how you repaid me. You are reckless”_

_________ _ _ _ _ _

_“Please –” Peter’s face was soaked with tears._

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“And if killing Ben wasn’t enough. You become Spiderman. The great, powerful hero. And you say you’re a hero, Spiderman. You didn’t even use your powers to stop the truck. You sensed it coming, but you ignored it. You recklessly let yourself get hurt. You were never worth the trouble. I hate you”_

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_Peter crumpled to the floor and wailed. Suddenly, a figure was above him, pulling him up. The figure shook him._

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“Peter”_

_____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“PETER” it wasn’t May's voice though._

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Peter’s eyes snapped open. Peter could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead, as well as the tears dried on his cheeks. Above him, stood a concerned Mr. Stark. Mr. Stark's eyes were wide with worry, filled with so much panic. 

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Pete, you okay buddy?” Mr. Stark whispered and rubbed away the residual tears on Peter's cheek. Peter laid there, trembling. Peter’s eyes were glazed over, clearly lost in deep thought. “Pete?”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I – ” Peter remembered May’s red scary eyes that stared into his soul. He remembered the way May looked at him, with so much disappointment that it felt like being stabbed over and over again. “I had a nightmare, I’ll- I’ll be okay though, don’t worry about it.” Peter shuffled to sit up and tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes as Mr. Stark sat down next to him. 

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“It’s my job to worry.” Tony sighed. Tony reached out to put his hand lightly on Peter's back. When Peter started to lean into Tony, Tony began to rub light circles on his back. Clearly this dream had been a painful one. When Friday showed him the footage of Peter thrashing in his bed crying, it clearly was upsetting. If Tony thought he could be the father Peter needed, Peter had to open up to him. “Talking helps, I know whenever I talk about my nightmares, it helps a lot.”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“You have nightmares?” Peter didn’t think the powerful Tony Stark could have nightmares.

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Of course I do, that’s part of being a hero.”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I’m no hero,” Peter muttered.

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“What?” Tony’s eyes shot up. Tony could not believe Peter would say something like that. Peter loved being Spiderman and saving little old ladies from purse muggers. Not that Tony was planning on ever letting him go out to Queens ever again, but he would find a way to let Peter continue to train until people forgot about Peter and Spiderman. Maybe Tony would have to rebrand Spiderman to keep Peter safe. But Tony would only let him go out again in maybe 10 or 20 years with Ironman tailing his every move. “Who told you that?”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“May did, in my dreams, she said she hated me and that I’m not a hero.” Peter looked down at his fingers that were playing with the bedsheet. It was embarrassing to admit to Mr. Stark, his hero, that he wasn’t a hero like Ironman.

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“That’s not true, you are a hero.”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Then why did May abandon me?”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Peter,” Tony had an idea. Tony knew that the most challenging obstacle they had to overcome was Peter’s aunt. Maybe he could use Peter's nightmare to his advantage. “Sometimes our dreams tell us things we don’t want to hear. Sometimes they tell us things we don’t realize about other people. And sometimes, they make no sense at all.”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“So, it makes no sense? I’m just- I’m just so confused. I thought May loved me and was proud of me being Spiderman.”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Maybe. But maybe she just didn’t want to tell you directly that she hated Spiderman. Maybe, it was easier to drop subtle hints that you are only able to realize now that you’re away from her.”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“What? So May doesn't think Spiderman is a hero?”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Spiderman IS a hero. Don’t ever think you aren’t. You are so strong, and brave, and I’m proud to be your dad. I’m saying, maybe May just didn’t see or appreciate how amazing you are. Not everyone appreciates the heroes. You know, not everyone loves Ironman” 

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The fact that Ironman thought he was a hero helped Peter feel a little bit better. Peter didn’t notice the dad comment, he was too busy absorbing Mr. Stark’s praises. It felt really good to hear the comforting compliments, especially coming from his lifelong hero.

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“The people who don't love Ironman are stupid,” Peter muttered. Tony laughed and ruffled Peter’s hair.

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“God I love you kid." Tony paused. He had never said that out loud. But it was true. He loved Peter. He had always loved Peter like a son because he had always seen Peter as his son. Now that Tony had created all the documents, Peter was legally his son. On paper, Peter Stark came from thin air. But to Tony, Peter Stark had always been around. It was only once the accident happened, did he realize that he had to make Peter his son, by doing whatever it takes. Creating all the necessary government documentation to have Peter Stark be his son was totally worth it when Tony could sit here and comfort Peter. "Seriously, ask any of the Avengers, we all had people close to us who didn’t believe in us. But we all have people that do believe in us. The people who don’t believe in us, don’t belong in our lives. We have to make the right decision, to keep the right people around us. I think May made it easy for you.”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“How so?”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“You didn’t have to be the one to push her away. I know it’s hard now, but you will be better off without her negative influence.”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Peter nodded. Maybe it made sense. Maybe his dreams were showing him the things he’s missed all this time. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe May didn't belong in Peter's life. Maybe May didn’t believe in Spiderman, but Mr. Stark sure did. Mr. Stark definitely belonged in Peter's life. Damn, he was lucky to have Mr. Stark. With that thought, Peter pulled Mr. Stark into a tight hug.

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Thank you,” Peter whispered into Tony’s neck as they hugged. 

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Always kid,” Peter pulled back from Tony. Tony smiled at Peter and ruffled his hair. “Now common kid, it's only 3pm, go shower, you reek of teenager.”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Hey!!!!”

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

After Tony pushed Peter towards the on-suite bathroom connected to Peter’s room, Tony felt his phone ring. When he glanced down at who was calling, a million things crossed his mind, but he only whispered out one:

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Shit

______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice emotional manipulation Tony! Who could be calling Tony? I think we all know who it is!


	8. The Bigger Nightmare

_May was sitting on the sand at South Beach watching the waves crash on the shore. A fresh start. It was exactly what she needed. Being able to hear the waves, rather than taxi horns and bike bells, really helped May in more ways than she thought possible. Tony was right, Miami was a change of pace from New York. Even though it was starting to get dark, it was so warm. Unlike New York, the temperature didn’t start to dramatically drop as it darkened._

__

_As she watched the sky turn dark orange, she felt a tap on her shoulder._

____

_She turned around to see Peter, who was covered in blood from head to toe. She could see the shards of glass and metal jutting out of his chest and arms. His eyes were glowing in the evening light as he looked down at May._

_____ _

_“You forgot about me.”_

______ _ _

_“Peter!” May scrambled to her feet._

_______ _ _ _

_“As soon as I died, you just left.”_

________ _ _ _ _

_“Peter, what - you - but - how are you here?” May asked with bewilderment in her voice._

_________ _ _ _ _ _

_“You don’t love me.” Despite Peter’s bloody face, May could make out the tears forming in his eyes. May’s heart broke. All she wanted to do was comfort him, so she started to walk towards Peter._

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

_“No Peter, I do. I love you so much. But the accident –“ As May reached out to hold her precious Peter, his entire body turned to sand. May dropped to her feet to grab at the sand. She screamed._

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“PETER!” May shot up from her bed, eyes filled with terror. After working an overnight shift, May just needed to catch up on sleep.

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“It was just a nightmare,” May reassured herself as she panted from fear. It was happening far too often. Every time she slept; she saw Peter hurt. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw her nephew in so much pain and there was nothing she could do. Sometimes Ben was there too, he blamed her. He sacrificed himself for their beloved nephew, why didn’t she do the same? 

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

It made May feel sick. She felt so selfish for being alive when neither of her boys were. Maybe there was something she could do. The guilt was too much to bear. How could she be here, in sunny warm Miami, while her sweet nephew was dead? Cold. Buried in a grave so far away she would never see him. 

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

She had to do something. She did the first thing that popped into her mind. She pulled out her phone and called the one person she felt who could possibly understand her pain. 

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He answered on the final ring. 

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“May?” Tony Stark’s quietly answered, his voice barely audible.

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Tony, it’s good to hear your voice.”

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Not that it’s not a pleasure to hear from you, but I’m a little tied up at the moment. Is something wrong?” Tony answered in a rush. In the background, May could hear a door opening and closing. And then another.

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Well, I - uh – feel like I rushed out of New York. Maybe I should come back. I feel like I moved on from Peter too quickly.”

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“What? No! May, this is hard, believe me, I know, but it feels good to be away from everyone who gives you those pity looks. You know what I mean right? Believe me, I wish I could have had this option when my parents were killed.” Tony needed her to stay the hell out of New York. Tony looked around his office and ran his hand through his hair. This could be a big inconvenience for Tony.

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I don’t know…” May paused. “I think I might just come back for a few weeks. Don’t get me wrong Tony, I appreciate everything you’ve done for Peter and me. You’ve been so good; it’s just, I need to see his grave again. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to his body. And I think once I’m back, I don’t know that I’ll want to just leave New York behind.”

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“The distance will help you. See a therapist ok?”

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I just want closure. I’m sure you feel the same way!” May didn’t know why, but it felt like Tony was trying to push her away. 

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I do!! But seeing you reminds me of how I failed him.” Tony said, hoping that by saying that, May would feel too guilty to come back.

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Oh Tony, you know it’s not your fault. I don’t blame you.”

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Tony thought about it. If anything, he blamed May. May always limited the amount of time Peter could spend with Tony in the past. She always insisted he come home every night even though Tony offered to make Peter a bedroom in the Tower. Tony remembered those days. Tony and Peter would be having a great time in the lab, laughing as they worked on their suits. They would lose track of time as Peter excitedly talked about everything from being Spiderman to building legos with Fred. But then May would call, telling Peter it was time to come home. Peter would always nod and tell May he was coming, and Tony would always frown. If May had let Tony be more involved in the past, let Tony have Peter around more often, the timeline would have been different and the accident never would have happened.

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“May, I really don’t think you should come to New York ever again. Is Miami not good enough? I can get you a place in Hawaii, or well if you miss the cold I could –“

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Tony, I have the next three weeks off. I’m coming to New York. I’m not asking you. I’m telling you.”

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Tony clutched the phone tighter, his hand shook with rage. This could not be happening. She could not come back to New York. “Oh yea, well –” Tony was about to go off on May, but he heard the faint sounds of the shower turning off. He turned to his desk and pulled up Peter’s bedroom monitor. Peter was standing in his room, sifting through the desk drawers. Clearly, he wasn’t finding what he was looking for. Tony could see him talking to Friday. Even though he wanted to yell and scream at May to stay the fuck away from New York, he had bigger priorities. Like helping Peter find whatever he’s looking for. And making sure Peter didn’t overhear anything with his super hearing. “Listen May I gotta go, bye.” Tony said harshly and hung up just in time for Friday to request his presence in Peter’s room.

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

‘Huh,’ May thought. ‘That was odd.’

___________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	9. The Phone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter searches for something, and he doesn't find what he's looking for.

As Peter stood in the shower, with a plastic bag wrapped around his cast, he thought about the last few days he spent with Mr. Stark. If Peter was being honest, he was overwhelmed. There was so much going through his mind at once, he had no idea what to make of his life anymore. 

He knew his life had changed forever. His aunt abandoned him. Clearly, she didn’t want him. And if Mr. Stark was right, she must’ve dropped subtle hints all along. That bothered Peter. Peter should have realized how upset she was with him; he would have made changes. But what did she want from him? He had no idea. 

He also knew that Mr. Stark was now his legal guardian. Mr. Stark adopted him. And Mr. Stark kept calling himself Peter’s Dad. Peter always had looked up to Mr. Stark like a father. In fact, Mr. Stark had been a father figure to Peter since the day they met. But for him to officially be Peter’s dad? Peter didn’t know what to say. Was Mr. Stark mad that Peter wasn’t calling him dad? If Ned found out he would spaz out.

Peter’s eyes widened. He hadn’t talked to Ned since the day of the accident! He must be freaking out! 

Peter went to turn off the shower and quickly dried himself off, careful to avoid getting the cast wet. He ran back into the bedroom – he realized it was now his bedroom – and opened the dresser. He quickly found some Ironman underwear (oh common Mr. Stark) and some jeans and a t-shirt. He quickly threw them on and scanned the room. No sign of his phone anywhere. He began opening the desk drawers, thinking maybe it was in his desk. 

“Friday?” Peter called out. Friday had to know.

“Yes Peter?” Her voice towards Peter was softer than what Peter remembered. Maybe she felt bad about his accident.

“Where’s my phone?”

“I am unsure of the location of your phone. Would you like me to track it within the building?”

“Yes please.” Peter looked up at the ceiling, anxiously awaiting his phone. He couldn’t wait to tell Ned everything that had happened. There was a long pause.

“I am unable to find a signal of your phone in the Tower.”

“Oh.” Peter had no idea what to do. How was he going to contact Ned? Peter thought his phone was with him in Happy’s car, so where else could it have gone? Could Happy know where his phone was?

“I will request your father’s presence.” 

“Wait what?” Peter was so confused. Richard Parker was dead, he wasn’t going to just waltz into his room. Was Friday referring to Mr. Stark?

“I am requesting the presence of your father, Tony Stark, to come to your bedroom. Are you having difficulty hearing? I can schedule an Otolaryngologist to come and examine your ears.”

“What no no no no, I don’t need a doctor.” Peter forgot all about the father comment when the doctor remark was said. Peter was not interested in going back to see any doctor anytime soon. He wasn’t interested in laying in a hospital bed all day, wearing a hospital gown. Granted, he had no idea what an Otolaryngologist was.

“What’s this about you avoiding Bruce?” Mr. Stark stood in Peter’s doorway, with clear frustration in his eye. 

“No no no” Peter huffed in annoyance. “Friday’s trying to schedule a meeting with a doctor to check my ears! I’m fine, remember I have super senses Friday?”

“Would you like me to replay the audio of our conversation?” Friday called out in a bored tone.

“No!” Peter grunted. Tony smirked. It was funny to watch his son get so flustered with Friday’s sassiness. At least Tony wasn’t the recipient of Friday’s sass this time.

“So why did Friday call me over?”

“Have you seen my phone?” Peter hoped Mr. Stark knew were his phone was. It was his only hope.

“It was probably destroyed in the wreck.” Peter’s heart dropped. That phone had all his favorite pictures with Ned, along with pictures of May and Ben. “But don’t worry, I’ll set you up with a new one when you’re ready.”

“When I’m ready?” Peter scrunched up his face.

“You’re still recovering, you need to focus on that, not social media or any of that other garbage.”

“I just need to tell Ned I’m okay!”

“Don’t worry about it, the world won’t end. Ted can wait, you are still recovering.”

“You know his name is Ned. And I feel fine.” Peter started to raise his voice.

“No, you’re not.” Tony was starting to get annoyed. Peter had to listen to Tony. Tony knew what was best for his health.

“Common I can just text him, I won’t be going out to see him until after my cast is off. Deal?” Peter did not understand why Tony was being so harsh. 

“No deal. I-“ Peter cut Tony off.

“Oh common!! You’re being ridiculous, it’s just a text!”

“Oh am I now?!” Tony’s eyes narrowed and walked over to Peter to tower over him. Peter shrunk back. “I wasn’t the one who nearly died! You have no idea how worried I was. That accident was my worst nightmare. If you think I’m just going to forget that accident and let you waltz around trying to get injured again you are wrong. I am going to make sure you are safe at all times. Do you want to keep arguing? You’ll never see another phone.”

Peter screamed out in frustration. This was so unfair. It was so ridiculous it bordered on insane. He skirted around Mr. Stark and ran into the living room of the penthouse. Luckily, no one was in the living room. Peter stormed over to the elevator and pressed the button. Peter wasn’t interested in listening to Mr. Stark’s stupid rules. Mr. Stark was being way too controlling, and Peter needed to clear his head. Peter was going to march out of this building, whether Mr. Stark liked it or not.

What Peter didn’t expect was for the elevator to not do anything. He clicked the button again. Again, even with his super hearing, he didn’t hear the elevator move. He clicked again and again and again, and still, nothing moved. He slammed his fists against the elevator doors and leaned his head against the doors. He couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.

As Tony watched Peter’s tantrum from the hallway, he looked up, smiled, and whispered “Good girl Friday.”

Tony slowly walked over to Peter, and tentatively put a hand on Peter’s back. Tony could feel Peter tense up. Immediately, Peter quickly spun around, his hands swinging around as if to hit Tony. But Tony anticipated that and grabbed both of Peter’s hands. He pushed Peter back against the elevator door, startling Peter. He could see the fear, sadness, and shock all mixed together in Peter’s face.

“Same side, remember underoos?” If Tony thought Peter was crying loudly when he hit the elevator, he had no idea how wrong he was. Peter stared at him for a few seconds, then began wailing much louder than before. 

“Go to your room.” Tony's words cut through the sobs like a knife. Peter’s big brown eyes looked up at Tony’s face. They were filled with tears. In Peter’s eyes, the regret was unmistakable.

As Peter sobbed and stumbled his way back to his bedroom, Tony sighed. The kid’s erratic emotions were giving him whiplash.


	10. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers meet and discuss a potential problem, while poor Peter is left to cry in his room

Tony sighed. God, Peter’s first day home was turning into a disaster. Tony started to walk towards Peter’s room when Friday spoke.

“Boss, General Ross is here to speak to you and the Avengers,” Friday stated. Tony groaned. 

“Friday tell him I’m busy.” Tony huffed out.

“Ross would like to inform you that if you refuse to meet now, he will require you to attend a five-day conference for the UN.”

“Ugh, tell his diplomatic ass I’m coming.”

Regretfully, Tony turned back to the elevator. He looked back to Peter’s room, wishing that he could just fix things with his kid now. 

“Friday, lockdown my floor. No one in or out.”

“Yes, boss.” 

\--

As the elevator doors opened, Tony could hear Steve’s arguing. Tony could see Clint, Nat, Steve, Bruce and Thor huddled around Ross.

“Secretary Ross, how could he have escaped? I thought the prison security system was impossible to break?” Steve questioned.

“It is!” Ross affirmed. “But be that as it may, Adrian Toomes escaped!” Shit. Tony knew that name. Adrian Toomes was Vulture. The man nearly crushed Peter when Peter wasn’t wearing the Spiderman suit Tony made to protect him. The world was not safe when guys like Toomes escaped prison. Villains with a grudge on the Avengers or the government or the entire world tend to cause some damage.

“Ross, you telling me Stark didn’t make a good enough security system for you?” Clint joked, smiling at Tony.

Ross frowned and looked down at his feet. Tony was pissed. First, they were insinuating that his genius wasn’t smart enough to keep a guy like Toomes in prison. And second, no one seemed to care about the danger Peter was in while Vulture is on the street.

“Ross, if you so much as suggest that my security system is inadequate, which relies on tech you can’t even begin to understand, well then you are wrong. I think, no I can tell by your face, that the prisonbreak wasn’t caused by a technology malfunction. No, one of your guards snuck him out. Huh, Ross? Did I get that right?” Tony was shaking with rage. He really needed to get back to Peter and make sure he had enough protocols to protect him. 

Ross sighed, unwilling to admit the truth. “Yea, a young guard was bought. Toomes offered him 2 million dollars, and he took the bait. We caught the guard very quickly.”

“Fantastic, do you want a medal for catching the guard Ross? Toomes is still out there. We have to find him.” Tony deadpanned.

“I agree,” Cap nodded. “Let’s get Toomes off the street before he can try anything else.”

“Well, now that you’re here Stark, we can talk about what we know. That guard that was bought by Toomes overheard Toomes on the phone one night. Toomes was saying he was excited to see the big green French lady. Since the Hulk isn’t a French lady, we think he is headed to New York. He should be here by now. if he’s here, he’ll be laying low. Going out at night only, keeping few contacts, avoiding high-security tape areas. Take this slow, if we start asking around about Toomes, he will get away and we don’t know where he’d go next.”

“Ross, I don’t like to be told to go slow or quietly, that’s not really my thing.” Tony was ready to start an air patrol with every working Ironman suit he still had.

“Make it your thing. We can’t spook Toomes.” Ross brushed past Tony to enter the elevator. And with that, Ross left. There was a long pause as the team listened to the elevator descend.

“Ross is right” Steve started. “We take this slow. We each have our own contacts, people that we trust. We can start quietly trying to ask around, see what people have heard.”

“Does this Toomes have family or a girlfriend?” Thor’s loud voice boomed. “If it was me, I would immediately begin my quest to find Jane.”

“He has a daughter. Liz or something” Tony muttered out. Peter had asked her to prom and had been so excited. Tony didn’t look into her or Toomes until after Peter told him what happened on prom night.

“Ohhh Tony,” Clint smirked and wagged his eyebrows. “And how are you acquainted with his daughter?”

“Ew, Clint gross,” Tony frowned, disgusted by the thought. “She’s Peter’s age.”

“Shit Tony,” Bruce’s eyes were wide and full of concern as he spoke. “Does Peter know Liz? Does this have anything to do with Spiderman?”

Tony sighed. “Yes. Peter fought Vulture on the night of his prom when Liz was his prom date.” Tony paused, thinking of what to say next. “Listen, Peter cannot know Vulture escaped. I don’t think Vulture is coming after Peter, but we have to be safe. If he was, at least he will think Peter is dead. But if Peter hears about Vulture escaping, Peter will try to be a hero and try to go after Vulture. It’s too dangerous.”

“We won’t say anything to him,” Nat spoke softly.

“Yea man, we can handle Toomes, we don’t need Spiderman to do anything but recover.” Clint nodded his head.

“I will protect this information from your son with my life.” Thor smiled.

“And we will protect Peter no matter what, okay Tony?” Steve reached out to put his hand on Tony’s shoulder. “He is safe in the tower; we will keep it that way. Keep him in the tower or the compound, away from any danger.”

“Thanks guys, that really means a lot.” Tony was so grateful. His friends would do anything for his son. Speaking of his son, Tony checked his phone and pulled up the feed from Peter’s room. Peter was sitting on his bed, staring at his hands in his lap. Just looking at the way Peter sat there defeated, Tony knew his son needed him immediately. 

“Speaking of Peter,” Clint started, with a glint of hope and excitement in his eyes. Tony raised his eyebrows. “When can we see him? Your ridiculous no visiting Peter rule should be voided now that he’s home, right? Common let me shoot some arrows at him.”

“If you’re planning on shooting arrows at my kid…”

“He’s joking Tony,” Bruce interjected. “I think it would be good for Peter to see everyone.”

“I agree with Doctor Banner!” Thor boomed. “Starkson is always good company.”

“Alright fine, fine!” Tony huffed out. He was hoping to get at least a few more days to just relax with Peter, but the Avengers clearly weren’t going to let up their begging. “Come by tomorrow, maybe have lunch or dinner with us? But you leave when I say you leave.”

“Yes!” Clint pumped his arm and grinned at Tony. “We – “

“No arrows Katniss!” Tony would throw him off the roof of the tower if he tried to even bring a single arrow up to the penthouse. “In exchange, I need you all to be on the lookout for May Parker.”

“I thought you sent her to Florida.” Steve puzzled. 

“I did, but she insists on returning. Can you all just make sure she stays the hell away from the Tower? Just keep tabs on her, tell me what she’s up to. But don’t let her see you, she might get suspicious.”

“We will keep excellent watch of the aunt,” Thor concluded.

“Thanks Point Break, you have trouble with her, jostle her with some lightning.” Tony was only partially joking.

“Tony you know he can’t do that.” Nat looked at Tony with wide eyes, wondering if Tony was serious.

“Yea yea, I know, it’s just an idea.” Tony quipped. 

Without saying goodbye, Tony quickly turned away from the Avengers and left the floor.

\--

Once Tony got to the penthouse, he made a beeline for Peter’s room and stood outside his door. He tried to listen for Peter’s cries, but he heard nothing. Tony reached for the doorknob, fully expecting it to be locked. He knew he could override the lock, but wanted to first see if Peter was trying to shut him out. 

Tony was pleasantly surprised when the door opened easily. As the door swung open, Peter snapped out of his daydream and looked directly at Tony. Tony had never seen Peter’s eyes so swollen and red from crying. Peter’s entire face was red too, and his shirt was wet from the tears.

Tony stood at the door for what felt like an eternity. As he took his first step into the room, Peter shot up. Tony prepared himself for another outlash, to be hit or yelled at or ignored completely.

He was wrong. 

Peter rushed to grab Tony and wrapped his arms around Tony’s torso. Peter buried his head into Tony’s shirt, and sobbed out a muffled “I’m sorry”

Tony stood there for a second, shocked at the reaction he got from entering Peter’s room. But when his mind clicked into place, Tony wrapped his arms around Peter’s smaller frame tightly as Peter continued to cry. 

“Oh Pete,” Tony cooed. He rubbed Peter’s back which seemed to slow down Peter’s crying. But Peter kept crying as he repeatedly spewed out apologies.

“I-I- m sorry. I didn’t mean-mean to get so ma-mad.” Peter cried out into Tony’s shirt. Tony could feel the tears wetting his shirt. “I’m sor-sorry. I’m so-so-so sorry.”

“Pete don’t cry. Oh, baby please, look at me.” Peter made no effort to look at Tony. So Tony rested a hand on Peter’s cheek and gently tilted Peter’s head up. “Peter look at me.” Peter opened his swollen red eyes and glanced up at Tony, keeping his head on Tony’s chest as he continued to sniffle. 

“Peter, I forgive you. A lot has happened in the past week for you. Your life has drastically changed, and it will take some time to get used to it. But I will always be there for you, okay? But that doesn’t mean you can act like that. When I say something, or make a decision, it’s final and you have to listen. No arguing, whining, complaining. Zip. I won’t allow it. Got it?”

Peter nodded his head against Tony’s chest

“What was that?” Tony needed verbal confirmation.

“Yea,” Peter said with a shaky breath. “Got it.”

“Good,” Tony sighed contently and pushed Peter’s head firmly back on his chest. He liked holding his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a sucker for Tony and Peter fluff, buttttttttttttt I promise there's more dark Tony to come.
> 
> I also LOVE the Avengers banter. I'm going to make sure they make fun of each other as much as possible.
> 
> Also wtf is Toomes up to?


	11. The Brunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay I lied there's still more fluff ahead

Long after Tony tucked Peter into bed, and long after Tony himself went to bed, three men had an agreed-upon meeting.

In a dark room in an abandoned warehouse in Queens, there were two young burly men and a middle-aged man that quietly slipped into the warehouse. As the door slammed shut, the sound echoed throughout the empty warehouse. the older man spoke first:

“So, it’s done?” Questioned the older man.

“You didn’t see the news huh?” The shorter of the two young men chucked. “The accident was all over the news.”

“And they didn’t suspect anything?” the older man asked.

“No one noticed the breaks were cut on the truck. We did our part, risking our jobs at our company just for the accident you requested. So, where’s our money Toomes?” The other young beefy man grunted out and took a leering step towards Toomes. 

“And the kid?”

“As you wanted. Dead. You missed the funeral in case you were planning on attending.” The shorter man spoke in a bored tone. He tapped his foot, his impatience palpable. Toomes smiled at the news. Good riddance.

Toomes pulled out two thick envelopes and handed them to each man. “Here, as promised. Now get the hell out of my warehouse.” The strong men counted their cash in the dark. They both nodded, satisfied with their money. As they left, Toomes grinned.

‘With Spiderman gone,’ Toomes thought, ‘no one will stop me from selling alien tech. I’ve only just begun to get my revenge on the Avengers. No one can stop me from taking what is mine.’

\--

As the sunlight poured into Tony’s bedroom, Tony cracked his eye open. Tony rolled over, stifling a groan. The way the sun was beating down into Tony’s room, he could tell that it had to be past 11 am. He stayed up until 2 am to watch a movie with Peter, just to realize Peter had fallen asleep on his shoulder, Tony carried a sleeping Peter to his room, fell asleep shortly after tucking Peter in. Despite getting more sleep than his usual 2-3 hours, thinking about and caring for Peter 24/7 was exhausting. Luckily, Peter had no nightmares last night after Tony tucked him into bed.

“Friday pull up the feed of Peter’s bedroom, and his REM sleeping monitor report from the past 12 hours.” Friday instantly pulled up the footage of Peter sprawled out on his bed. Tony sat up from his bed to get a better view and could see Peter had kicked the covers off in his sleep. Peter was lying on his stomach, with his limbs sprawled out on the bed. 

“According to the report,” Friday spoke softly, “Peter was put to bed already in stage 3 of non-REM sleep, and was in the REM stage of sleep for approximately 30% of the night. The sleep tracking monitor indicates no nightmares.”

Good. At least Peter was able to sleep. He clearly needed it after the rollercoaster that was yesterday. Tony knew Peter would have a lot of changes to adjust to. But Tony was sure that Peter truly believed May had abandoned him. In Tony’s heart, he knew he was what was best for Peter. Peter would struggle at first to let go of his aunt, but Tony would help him through it. Tony would show Peter that all he needed was Tony. 

That, and the Avengers. Speaking of the devils, Tony could hear the distant sound of the elevator doors opening. 

“Steve, isn’t it a little early for lunch?” Tony could hear Clint speaking. “Even with your whole super metabolism, are you sure Tony and the kid are even up?”

“That’s the point, I promise you neither are up,” Cap said, and Tony could picture the smug look he was probably giving Clint. “For us, it’ll be lunch, for them, it’ll be breakfast. So, Brunch.”

“Who wants to wake up sleeping beauty? I call not it.” Clint said quickly.

Tony groaned. He told them lunch or dinner. Of course, Steve would find a loophole to get up to the Penthouse as soon as possible. Tony knew how worried all the Avengers had been for Peter, and while he was touched that they cared so much, he needed them to back the fuck off. Tony wanted to spend the day with his kid and not have anyone butt in on their father-son time.

Rolling out of bed, Tony quickly got dressed. Tony wiped the lingering sleep from his eyes as he walked into the living room of the Penthouse. There stood all the Avengers gathered around the kitchen island. Clint was holding 3 cartons of eggs, Nat was balancing a loaf of bread along with fruit, Bruce had some Indian looking dish in his hands, Thor had what looked like some sort of meat, and Steve had all sorts of cooking supplies.

“Well, well, well, what kind of intrusion do we have here?” Tony interrupted the quiet conversation they were having amongst one another.

“Good morning sunshine,” Clint joked. “Where’s our favorite kid? Down the hall? I’ll go wake him up.” Clint made a step towards Tony, but Tony immediately grabbed Clint’s arm. 

“No way do I want you to be the one to wake him up.”

“Oh common, I won’t shoot him with an arrow.”

“I swear to god if you brought-“ Clint cut Tony off.

“No way man, do you think I’m that stupid?”

“Actually yea.”

“He didn’t Tony,” Nat interjected. “We are just here to have breakfast with you and hang out with Peter for a bit.”

“I didn’t say you could hang out with Peter.” Tony crossed his arms. This was not the day he had planned.

“Why don’t we let the little one decide what he would like to do today?” Thor stated, thinking it was a logical compromise.

“No, I wanted to take Peter down to the lab since we haven’t been able to have a full lab day because May never let him stay over before.”

“But I wanted to play super smash bros with Peter,” Clint interjected. Steve rolled his eyes, taking the eggs from Clint’s hands and cracking them into a large frying pan.

“I was going to show him some of my research papers,” Bruce commented.

“I’m planning on teaching him how to throw a knife and hit a target,” Natasha stated.

“No, no, and no! Get your own kid!”

“But we want Peter,” Clint whined and grinned at his own confession. They all liked Peter, he was fun to be around.

“You have your own kids Clint,” Tony pointed out.

“Let’s just have breakfast, the eggs are almost done.” Steve interrupted. 

“Thank you, finally someone is being reasonable,” Tony gasped.

“Then after we will see how the day turns out.” Steve smiled cutely. For the Avengers, it was fun to ruffle each other’s feathers.

“Ugh, why do I let you fools stay in my tower?”

“Because,” Nat quipped, “you like us. And we are the Avengers.”

“Speaking of our jobs, any word on Toomes?” Tony asked.

“No,” Thor cut in, “I was unsuccessful in my quest for Toomes last night. His family has departed New York long ago, and I have heard no word about his whereabouts.”

“My sources gave me nothing to work with,” Natasha added.

“Same here,” Clint sighed.

“We will keep looking,” Steve said. “He will surface eventually. Anyways, let’s not talk about that. Tony go get Peter.” 

Tony rolled his eyes and walked away from the group. Even though he was planning on spending the day alone with his kid, he could handle sharing Peter for breakfast. 

Tony knocked on Peter’s door. “Pete, you awake?” Tony heard nothing. Even though he knew Peter was probably still asleep, he figured he should at least knock first to hopefully wake him up. After waiting for a response and getting nothing, Tony entered Peter’s room.

Peter was still sleeping in the same position Tony saw on the baby monitor earlier. Tony’s heart swelled at the sight of him sleeping soundly in his room. For Tony, it just felt so right. Tony lightly shook Peter’s shoulder.

“Pete, wake up.” Tony smiled fondly at Peter.

“nghhh” Peter muttered out, not opening his eyes.

“Peter, common, breakfast is ready.”

“Mm not hungry. Sleep” Peter mumbled. Tony rolled his eyes.

“Cap will be heartbroken that you don’t want his food!” Tony gasped in fake horror.

“Steve’s here?” Peter opened one eye to look at Tony but still didn’t lift his head up.

“The whole team is here to have breakfast with you.”

With that, Peter sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. Peter sat there, trying to fight the tiredness. Tony’s last sentence must have finally registered, because Peter’s eyes widened and he jumped off of the bed, nearly colliding into Tony. 

“Whoa, slow down, they’re not going anywhere!” Tony called out as Peter ran out of his bedroom door. Tony sighed, there was no way he was getting Peter all to himself today.

“Hey spidey,” Clint waved him over. Peter grinned at Clint. Peter always found Clint to be the most fun to hang out with.

“Hey Clint!” Peter walked over to where Clint was standing, and Clint ruffled his hair.

“Good morning Peter,” Steve smiled at Peter. He was always happy to see Peter, especially when Peter was in such a bubbly mood. “Grab a plate and get some eggs.”

“Thanks Steve!” Peter said as he grabbed a plate. “Hey so why are you all here having breakfast? You don’t usually come up to the penthouse?”

“We came to see you, young one!” Thor grinned to Peter as he sat down with his mountain of eggs. 

“Really? Wow thanks guys, I don’t know what to say.” Peter felt honored that the Avengers came specifically to see him.

“Of course, we wanted to see you, Peter.” Nat smiled at him.

“And, we will be able to hang out with you a lot more often now that you’re living here,” Clint commented.

“You’d hang out with me?”

“Obviously we want to,” Bruce gave Peter a soft smile. “You’re family now.”

That was true. Peter hadn’t thought about it before, but maybe there were some silver linings to his situation. May might have abandoned him, but in doing so he gained another family with the Avengers.

“And besides,” Bruce continued, interrupting Peter’s thoughts, “who else will read my research? Not Clint.”

“Whatever Dr. Banner,” Clint rolled his eye. “Besides, Peter would much rather play Super Smash Bros.”

“Yes! I love that game!” Peter’s eyes were shining in excitement.

“Peter go grab some eggs,” Steve interjected, “And then maybe I could show you how I throw my shield. You know, it doesn’t obey the laws of physics at all.”

“Wait really?” Peter’s eyes widened. He had always admired Captain America, and to get to throw the shield would be a dream come true.

“Peter, you must try to pick up my hammer,” Thor was not one to lose. If everyone else was fighting for Peter’s attention, then he was going to show them how the mightiest of all gets it done. “You must find out if you are worthy.”

Peter just stood there with his mouth open. It was like everything he had always dreamed of. Tony watched everyone compete for Peter’s attention. If he was being honest, it pissed him off. Peter hadn’t been home for 24 hours and the Avengers were already trying to steal his son away from him. Tony had enough of listening to them distract Peter.

Tony strode up to Peter and grabbed his plate out of his hands. Peter looked up at him with a dazed expression, confused as to why Tony took his plate. Tony quickly filled Peter’s plate with eggs, fruit, and toast, and handed it back to Peter.

“Here go sit down.” Tony’s words snapped Peter out of his stunned state.

“Oh yea, thanks Mr. Stark.” Peter shuffled over to the open seat next to Bruce. 

As breakfast, or as Steve called it, Brunch, went on, the Avengers all competed for Peter’s attention. From asking him questions about his favorite movies, to whether or not he wanted to do some stupid thing with Clint, Tony was just about done with the Avengers. Peter, as always, was excited to talk to his heroes. Peter had grown up admiring them. To Peter, this was the best breakfast he had ever had, because his heroes wanted to talk to him. As a kid, he never expected to ever get the chance to be this close to the Avengers, and he was going to take advantage of every second he could spend with them.

Even though Peter was sad that May abandoned him, he kept hearing the advice Tony gave him after his nightmare yesterday. May clearly didn’t care about him, she so quickly left him. And she didn’t like Spiderman. Peter loved being Spiderman, and he couldn’t imagine giving it up. So Tony was right, letting her leave his life was okay. Especially when he had the Avengers on his side. 

Peter looked around at everyone at the table. They were all smiling and laughing as they talked to one another. Peter’s eyes landed on Tony, and Peter smiled. He liked living here.

Tony smiled back at his son.


	12. The Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brunch is over, and Tony finally gets to ditch the other Avengers to hang out with his kid

After everyone finished Brunch, much to Tony’s dismay, they didn’t leave. Tony sighed, knowing that he wasn’t going to get rid of them that easily.

“Peter,” Tony turned his attention to Peter, who instantly perked up, “Why don’t you get dressed and we’ll go down to the lab?”

“Sure Mr. Stark!” Peter loved spending time with Mr. Stark in the lab. Peter loved all things science, and the lab was the epitome of what Peter loved about science. He could use physics and chemistry to be a hero, how cool was that?

As Tony watched Peter disappear to his room, Tony turned his attention back to the prying eyes. 

“Get out.”

“Common Stark,” Clint wined. “You can’t just hog him all the time.”

“I can and I will.” Tony quipped back.

“At least let us-“

“Don’t you have to patrol for Toomes? And for May,” Tony hissed quietly. He did not want Peter to hear.

“May’s flight lands later this afternoon around 4,” Nat commented. “And besides, we created a schedule. You have the evening shift.”

“I pay for everything; I didn’t ask to be put on a schedule,” Tony responded. “Besides, I have to stay with Peter.”

“Don’t worry,” Bruce patted Tony’s shoulder. “We will keep him company. Maybe we’ll watch a movie with him.”

Tony folded his arms.

“Tony,” Steve was using his serious tone. “We all have to go out and look for Toomes. Everyone is needed.”

“Ugh fine, but keep your big mouths shut, Pete cannot know about this,” Tony said softly, realizing Peter should be ready any second now. 

“We will,” Nat reassured him.

As Peter came back into view, Tony rushed over to him before any of the other Avengers could try to reach him. Tony quickly patted Peters back then put an arm around his shoulders, and pulled him a little closer. Peter smiled, looking up at his hero. 

“We are going to the lab, thanks Capscile for breakfast,” Tony announced.

“Yea, thank you, Steve!” Peter smiled out. Steve smiled back.

“Can’t convince you to come down to the training room to throw my shield can I?” Steve tried, just to piss Tony off.

“Really?” Even though this was the second time he was offered it, Peter was still excited at the offer.

“We got lab time to make up, sorry Cap,” With that, Tony pulled Peter to the elevator.

“See you for movie night!” Called out Clint.

“Movie night?” Peter called out just before the elevator doors closed.

“Sorry kid, I have some errands to run later and the team can’t seem to get enough of you. If I didn’t know better, they were making me go on these errands just so they could get rid of me to hang out with you.”

Peter giggled at that. It was funny how the Avengers seemed to fight over him. Peter didn’t fully get why, he was just Peter. But he loved the attention.

\--

After hours of working in the lab, Peter was getting tired, it was after 4pm, and he hadn’t taken a nap at all today. Since the accident, he had a lot of downtime and the extra sleep was helping him heal faster. As Peter groggily stared off into space, he let his mind drift off. Peter could feel his eyes drooping, and his head was bobbing. He was about to fall asleep when he heard Mr. Stark’s phone ring.

Since they were in the lab, a screen popped up in front of Mr. Stark, showing the caller ID. Peter instantly recognized the familiar face.

“May’s calling? May, oh my god May!!” Peter yelled out, rushing forward.

“Friday decline call, do not disturb mode.”

“Got it boss” Friday’s reply was instant, and May’s face immediately disappeared. 

“No! Why would you do that? May was calling!” Peter cried out.

Tony was furious. Fucking May. Why the hell was she calling?! Why did she think that Tony wanted to talk to her, especially after the last conversation he had with her? Did he not make it clear enough that he did not want to see or hear from her? And out of all times, she had to call when Peter was within earshot. Peter saw the damn caller ID. 

Tony grabbed Peter by the arm, and pulled him towards the exit. 

“She shouldn’t have called,” Tony growled.

“Ow you’re hurting me,” Peter complained, his voice laced with fear. He had never seen Mr. Stark like this before. In all honestly, Mr. Stark was scaring him. Mr. Stark kept pulling him away from the lab. He kept pulling Peter until they were into the elevator heading to the penthouse.

“She has no goddamn right to call,” Tony complained as the elevator doors closed.

“Mr. Stark, I would’ve wanted to talk to her.”

“NO!” Mr. Stark’s eyes were black and full of rage.

“But- “ 

Tony grabbed Peter by both of his shoulders and shook him.

“I SAID NO! DID YOU NOT HEAR ME? SHE IS BAD FOR YOU.” Tony screamed in Peter’s face.

“Please Mr. Stark, she’s still my aunt,” Peter said, shrinking back, his voice trembling and barely audible.

“She doesn’t love you! What don’t you get about that Peter? She doesn’t care about you or your well-being like I do.”

“But she did.” 

“She did not! Look at what happened to you!” Tony’s heart was racing, he so badly wanted to punch a wall and scream at the top of his lungs. This could not be happening.

“That wasn’t her fault!”

“She might as well have been driving the truck with the living conditions she had you in.”

“What are you talking about?” Peter was confused, he and May struggled a bit for sure, but he always had everything he needed. Maybe they weren’t rich, but they were getting by.

“She couldn’t provide for you like I do. She couldn’t protect you like I do. And she sure as hell doesn’t care about you like I do.”

“What?” Peter didn’t really think Tony cared about him. He had said ‘god I love you kid’ after Peter’s nightmare, but he just assumed he was joking. Like haha, I love that statement you made about Ironman haters being stupid. That kind of love. Not like I actually care that much about you. Peter had just kind of assumed he was being a burden on Mr. Stark. That Mr. Stark had just felt obligated to take him in since there was no one else who would take him.

“What?” Tony stopped fuming.

“You care about me?”

Tony was baffled by the question as if it wasn’t obvious.

“Of course, I do, you’re like a son to me. Especially now that I’ve adopted you.”

“Your son?” Despite the rage that still boiled deep within Tony, Tony couldn’t help but smile.

“I’ve always kinda thought of you as my kid. I think of you as my son, and now that you live with me, you are my son.” Tony did not like talking about feelings, but for Peter he would.

Peter stopped and thought about it. He also always kind of thought of Mr. Stark as his father figure. Maybe he had never called him dad, but he always thought of him as his father. He didn’t really remember Richard, but Peter figured that Mr. Stark did everything a father should do. He taught him about science and cars, they watched movies together, and they fought crime together. While crime-fighting was unique, Peter always felt a special bond to Mr. Stark, and now he knew why. 

As they stepped out of the elevator doors in silence, Peter wrapped his arms around Mr. Stark’s torso and hugged his father figure tightly.

“Thanks, Mr. Stark,” Peter said into Tony’s chest.

“Tony,” Tony whispered.

“Huh?” Peter questioned.

“Common kid, call me Tony at least. Or Dad. It feels weird hearing you call me Mr. Stark. I think we are way past that.”

“Ok Mr. Sta- I mean Tony.” Peter leaned back into the hug.

Tony smiled down at his son and hugged him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ouch, Tony's being kinda an ass with the whole May thing, but then again, he's super selfish


	13. The Landing Pad

After almost a week, everyone in the Tower fell into a routine. The Avengers did their rounds. They looked for Toomes and followed May around.

They had found out very little about Toomes. Apparently, Toomes was forming a team. A few rumors here and there that he was looking for strong men and alien tech, but nothing definitive. No Avenger had seen him directly, nor figured out where he was. Tony had set up a tracker to search for alien tech, but there had been no alerts. But the Avengers knew he would surface eventually. They just hoped they could find him before he was actually able to cause any damage to the city.

May, on the other hand, was busy visiting Peter’s grave. She went every day like clockwork at 2pm, and cried at his grave for hours. May had truly missed Peter. The Avengers all took shifts tracking her to see what she was up to. For the Avengers who had to watch her when she was at Peter’s grave, it was painful to watch. While they were reaping the benefits of living with Peter and enjoying the bundle of energy that Peter was, May had lost her last relative. But Tony reminded them every night that Peter was much better off living with them. That Peter was safe, his needs were met. May could never have provided for Peter the way Tony could. So the Avenger’s accepted it. Since her routine had consisted only of leaving the Queens apartment, going to the grave, stopping for a quick bite to eat, then returning back to the apartment, the Avengers only watched her when they knew she would be out. There was no point to go near the apartment, in case she saw any of them.

The Avengers soaked up as much time as they could with Peter. When Tony was out for his scheduled patrol, or as Peter was told, his ‘errands’, Peter was always kept busy. Peter and Bruce watched science documentaries. Clint would teach Peter about the air vents and how to navigate them. Thor showed Peter everything the hammer could do. Nat taught Peter more self-defense than he would ever need. And as promised, Steve showed Peter how to throw the shield. Every Avenger enjoyed being around Peter. He was excited about all things Avenger, and he had a way of worming himself into every Avenger's heart. The Avengers were always impressed with Spiderman, but the boy behind the mask was just as impressive. He was smart, kind, and he had this way of existing that just brought so much more joy to the tower. 

Peter was in general, happy. And Tony had been great. Peter still felt it was strange to call him Tony. After the fight about May’s phone call and Tony confessing that Peter was basically his son, Tony insisted that Peter stopped calling him Mr. Stark. To Tony, it felt weird to hear his son call him Mr. Stark. So, Peter assumed he wanted to be called Tony. And while Tony might have preferred to be called dad, being called Tony was a step up from Mr. Stark. Tony knew it would take some more time for Peter to build that confidence. He could wait. 

Peter knew that the Avengers were some of the coolest people ever, but he learned quickly that they were even cooler to live with. He always had someone to talk to or someone that could show him something really cool. For Peter, it felt like he had learned all the Avengers' secrets in the past week that most people would kill to know. Sometimes he missed May, but his mind always reminded him about how she abandoned him. So, he tried not to think about her. 

He shook the thought of May out of his head. He tried to focus on the movie, but he realized the ending credits were already rolling. In the corner of his eye, he could see Bruce stretching and Nat yawning.

“Rogers, when’s Stark getting back?” Clint called out, breaking the silence.

“Any second now,” Steve looked at his watch. It had to be past midnight. Tony said he would be home way past Peter’s bedtime, which Peter groaned about. Superheroes shouldn’t have bedtimes, yet Peter was supposed to be in bed by 11. 

“Is he landing on the landing pad?” Peter asked. He kind of wanted to meet him out there when he arrived home. Home. To Peter, it was crazy that he was starting to think of the Tower as home. 

“Should be,” Steve said. Peter smiled, with excitement in his eyes.

“Race you there!” Peter sprang up, avoiding the elevator and going straight to the staircase. He wasn’t sure if the elevator would let him up there since Friday ran the elevator, but he figured the staircase wouldn’t be able to stop him.

“Hey, Peter, come back!” Steve called out after him.

“Shit,” Clint murmured.

“Language,” Nat teased. Steve rolled his eyes.

“Stark said to not let him out. Especially not after his bedtime,” Steve warned and stood up in a huff.

“He didn’t say he couldn’t go on the landing pad,” Bruce argued.

“He also didn’t say he could.” Steve countered as they all rushed after Peter. 

As Peter, went out to the landing pad, he realized this had to be the first time he had been outside in over two weeks. Since the accident, he hadn’t left the tower. He realized he should try to get outside, maybe ask to go to a park until he’s able to go out as Spiderman again. It felt so good to feel the wind on his face. As he looked out at New York’s skyline, he could see a streak of red and gold approaching. Peter ran over to where he knew Tony would land.

As Tony approached the landing pad, he could see a small figure rushing towards where he would land. As he got closer, he could tell it was Peter. ‘What the hell is he doing out here?’ Thought Tony. Tony specifically told the Avengers not to let Peter outside. He also programmed Friday to restrict Peter’s access to the outside. So why was he outside? Peter could fall and get hurt! Or, maybe, just as bad, if May was looking at the tower, she might see Peter. No that was impossible, she never left the apartment this late at night.

Maybe Tony needed to revisit the code. Maybe Friday considered the landing pad as part of the Tower, therefore it wasn’t outside.

Tony landed in front of Peter and stepped out of the Ironman suit. 

“You’re back!” Peter was grinning at him. Tony could tell from Peter’s eyes that Peter was not trying to break out of the tower. If Tony wasn’t so pissed off about the danger Peter just put himself in by coming out to the landing pad, he would be overjoyed with how happy Peter was to see him.

“Yup,” Tony said, popping the p. He wrapped one arm around Peter’s shoulders, and basically dragged him back into the tower as quickly as possible. He didn’t want to scold Peter in front of the Avengers, especially when he wanted Peter to be his loving son. Tony wanted Peter to be happy to see him when he came home. To want to be around Tony. Tony figured he would just ask Peter not to go on the landing pad later and tell him that it was too dangerous.

But his eyes still sent daggers towards the Avengers. Specifically, Steve. He was pissed at them, and they would hear about it later.

“Where did you have to go to tonight?” Peter asked with curiosity in his voice.

“Nowhere interesting,” Tony said, ruffling his hair. “Now, what did you do tonight underoos?”

“Not much, we watched a movie.” Peter smiled up at Tony and he realized he and Tony were now inside, with the Avengers looking at Tony expectantly. 

“Oh yea, did Cap bore you with any of his old-timer stories?”

“Ummm,” Peter thought about it, trying to remember. He really liked the stories Steve had told about his time in the war. “I don’t think any stories came up tonight.”

“Good, then I don’t have to hear about it.” Usually, Tony would arrive home and Peter would have fallen asleep on the couch or would be so engrossed in a movie that he didn’t realize Tony had returned home. Even though his bedtime was 11, Tony only enforced it when he was home to tuck him in. If he had patrol, he secretly wanted Peter to stay up and wait for him, so that he could put his son to bed. So he never made Cap or any of the Avengers send him to his room. Whenever Tony came home, he would guide a sleepy Peter to bed, but Peter would find a burst of energy and would wake up. Tony didn't know where he would find the energy to fill Tony in with every single detail of the night including Cap’s old-timer stories.

Tony kept his arm around Peter’s shoulders as they walked up to the rest of the Avengers. 

“Have fun tonight?” Tony said to the Avengers, voice icy. 

“it was a magnificent evening with Peter.” Smiled Thor. 

“Great, we can catch up later, I gotta put the kid to bed.”

“I’m not 5,” Peter rolled his eyes, following Tony as Tony pulled him along.

“Coulda fooled me,” Tony smirked.

Once they were far enough from the Avengers, Tony sighed.

“You can’t go out on the landing pad Pete,” Tony said softly.

“What why?” Peter asked with raised eyebrows.

“It’s dangerous. And I don’t want you out there.”

“But I’m Spiderman.”

“Remember what I said about me having the final word,” Tony said coldly. He hated having to be this stern, but it was necessary.

Peter sighed. Of course, he remembered. He didn’t understand why Tony was being so harsh all the time about little things. First the phone, then not letting him go out for a walk when he was annoyed about not getting a phone, anything that had to do with May, and now this? But if Peter had learned anything in the past week, it was that Tony was not going to budge. Not wanting to fight with Tony, he nodded.

“Good,” Tony patted him on the back and pushed Peter towards the kid's bedroom. “Get dressed for bed, I’ll come back and say goodnight.”

After Peter shut the door, Tony whipped around and saw all the Avengers watching from the other end of the hallway. He marched over towards the Avengers and pushed them back to the living room.

“What were you thinking?” Tony was seething. 

“Tony, he was quick” Steve argued.

“Jee, I thought you were still spry for an old man,” Tony deadpanned.

“Tony, he wasn’t in any danger on the landing pad, he was fine.” Nat tried to calm Tony down. 

“But he could have fallen off! He could have tripped and stumbled to the ledge and plummeted. God” Tony could picture it in his head. The more he saw vivid images of Peter falling and screaming, the more he started to freak out. Tony started to pace the entire room. His mind flashed with more images of Peter’s body laying on the cold concrete in the dark. He began to pant the more he imagined Peter falling and dying.

“Stark we-“ Clint started but was cut off.

“No, you don’t get to try to apologize. God, he almost died in the accident, could you imagine how I feel knowing he was in danger standing on the landing pad? He’s my responsibility and if anything happened to him, I could never forgive myself.” Tony could feel the tears coming as he spoke, he was so overwhelmed with emotions, he wanted to cry and scream at the same time.

“Tony,” Bruce came up and put a comforting hand on Tony’s back. “Peter’s safe. He’s not hurt, he’s completely healthy. We took his cast off yesterday, remember? He’s feeling better. We watched him the whole night and he was good. In fact, he was excited for you to come home.”

“The boy was delighted with your return. He is a loyal and worthy son to you!” Thor smiled.

Tony smiled thinking of how Peter looked at him when he landed. How Peter’s eye sparkled with happiness when Tony landed. Tony sighed a sigh of relief. Peter was safe, and he was happy. That’s all Tony wanted. Tony wanted Peter to be safe with him, and for Peter to enjoy being with his dad. 

“I probably overreacted.”

“A dad worries,” Clint was using his serious tone, which he never did expect when on a mission or when something very important happened. “Believe me, as a dad, I worry all the time.”

“So I’m always going to be worried about him aren’t I?” Tony questioned, but he realized he already knew the answer.

“Even when you’re with them,” Clint affirmed. “But we’ve got your back tin can.”

“I agree with Clint,” Steve said, “We want to help. We all will do whatever it takes.”

“Exactly,” Nat agreed. Bruce and Thor also nodded in agreement. They would also help however possible with Peter.

“Thanks guys, that really means a lot.” Tony paused and smiled gratefully at his group of friends.

“Speaking of protecting him,” Nat broke the silence, “Any updates Tony?”

“No didn’t see Toomes,” Tony sighed. He never seemed to be able to find anything. “We’ll keep looking, he will surface.”

“And we will handle him,” Steve interjected.

“I just hope it’s not too late, like, if he already has a plan.” Bruce grimaced a little as he spoke.

“He will not destroy this beautiful city or planet with his alien tech, you have my word.” Thor decreed.

“It’s just, I thought we would have gotten more than just whispers by now,” Tony complained

“We will,” Nat paused. “Now aren’t you going to go tuck in our little spider, or do you want me to do it?” Nat smirked knowing Tony’s jealousy would flare. 

“No thanks, Triple Imposter.” Tony walked away, immediately offended. That was his kid, not theirs. He could hear the snickers behind him, but he didn’t care. He had priorities.

Tony knocked on Peter’s door lightly. With no response, Tony opened the door quietly. The lights were off, and Tony could see in the moonlight that Peter was already in bed. Peter was laying on his side with his face away from the door and facing the window. Tony silently entered, wanting to get a closer look. Seeing and being near Peter always calmed Tony down. Especially whenever he started to worry about Peter’s safety. Tony looked down at the sleeping boy. His messy curls fell in every direction, and he looked so young. His face was completely relaxed and comfortable. Tony sighed contently as he watched his kid sleep. 

After a while, Tony yawned. Tony realized he too should head to bed, so he reached down to brush the hair out of Peter’s eyes. Tony let his hand rest on Peter’s head for a bit, before leaning down and kissing the top of his head. Tony quietly stood up and left his son’s side. 

\--  
Meanwhile, Toomes was fuming. He was pissed. 

Toomes was standing on the roof of a skyscraper 3 blocks from the Avenger’s Tower dressed in all black with a set of binoculars around his neck. He knew the Avengers were looking for him. They were turning over every mattress he ever slept on, yet Toomes knew to never return to any of his old hangouts. He was building a team, one who he could trust to gather alien tech. While his team gathered the weapons, Toomes knew he had to figure out a way to get into the Avengers Tower. It was all part of his plan to get his revenge. How he would get even with Stark. He had been scoping out the area the past few nights from the rooftop of various buildings to get a sense of where the weak spots of the Tower were. So far, Toomes hadn’t found a way to get in.

On this night, he watched Stark fly through the sky, his eyes following Stark as he landed. Toomes’s eyes widened as he saw Stark land next to a figure. The figure was much smaller, but the outline of the figure reminded him of a certain spider. There was no way he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. He had to be hallucinating. He pulled out his binoculars and confirmed what he was afraid of.

“Fuck,” Toomes cursed out. “He’s alive.”

How was Peter Parker alive? He made sure to plan every detail of that accident. He should be dead. But there he was. He survived the impossible and was standing in front of Stark.

As Toomes thought about it, he had a realization. Stark held a funeral for the kid. That’s how Toomes originally confirmed Peter’s death. But, if he was alive and at the tower, it meant Stark was hiding him. Stark held the funeral and convinced everyone who knew Peter that he was dead. Even his aunt was going to the grave every single day, or at least his men reported seeing her like clockwork at the gravesite. He was keeping Spiderman inside, not letting him out. There had been no recent reports of Spiderman, and no one had even seen him in Queens in over a week. 

So Stark was hiding him away. But maybe that was the perfect opportunity for Toomes. An idea formed - an evil, sinister idea.

Toomes grinned. He would get his revenge. He called up his strongest men and gave his orders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooo what do you think Toomes is up to?!


	14. The Car Ride

Tony didn’t bother knocking on the kid’s door. It was almost 10 am, and he decided that he and Pete were going to spend the day together. Away from the hyenas that were the Avengers. For the past week, Tony had to share his kid since they kept barging in on whatever they were doing. 

Not today. Today was Happy’s first day back from his vacation, and Tony was already putting him to work.

Tony decided that they would go visit the compound. Maybe they would stay overnight for an extra day of peace and quiet. But they needed to leave now since the drive upstate would take a few hours. Luckily, Tony had already set up a room in the compound for Peter. Not the original room next to Vision, no, he needed Pete closer. He remodeled the room next to his for Peter, stocked with everything Peter needed. So, Peter did not need to pack anything, they could just get into Happy’s car and go. At first, Tony was worried that Peter would be scared to get into a car after the accident. Which is why Tony added hundreds of modifications to the safety software in the car. From better sensors to bulletproof windows, the car was basically indestructible. Tony argued he did it to put Peter's mind at ease for getting in a car, but mainly, Tony did it for himself. Tony would never let Peter get hurt, and he would never make the same mistake twice.

As Tony entered the room, he could see Peter was still passed out, cocooned in a pile of blankets, with just a few curls sticking out. He could hear his light and steady breathing in the otherwise silent room. 

“Pete,” Tony called out. No response.

“Pete wake up,” Tony said a little louder. It felt like déjà vu, since every day Tony had to wake a sleepy and grumpy Peter.

“Noooo” Peter muttered out.

“Common wake up, we gotta go.” 

“Nooooo, growing boys need sleep.” Peter rolled away from Tony, burying himself deeper into the covers.

“You can sleep in the car.” Tony was getting annoyed. He just needed the kid to get up, so he pulled the blankets down quickly. But Peter still didn’t make any move to get up.

“Don’t wanna get up.” Peter kept his eyes shut.

Tony sighed; he really didn’t want to fight with his spider baby. The kid was not waking up, he didn’t even perk up at the mention of leaving. But then he had an idea. He could have Happy get the car ready, then just carry his kid to the car. 

“Fine,” Tony stated as he left the room. “But when I come back, we are leaving together, whether you walk to the car or I carry you.”

Tony walked back into the living room to find Happy sitting on the couch. Despite being in the accident a little over 2 weeks ago, Happy was doing fine. He only had a few bruises left, and his broken ribs were still healing, but they were better. 

“Where’s the kid?” Happy questioned, with a raised eyebrow.

“He won’t wake up, but go get the car ready.”

“You’re babying him, want me to wake him up?” Happy asked with a serious face.

Tony could picture it. While he cherished Happy, Happy could act a bit cold and harsh towards Peter. Even though he knew Happy cared about his kid, Happy had a reputation to live up to. Or whatever Happy called it.

“No, I’ll just carry him,” Tony said, while Happy rolled his eyes.

“Whatever boss.”

Tony went back into Peter’s room, just to find he had fallen back asleep without even pulling the covers back up. Tony shook his head at the sight. At least it made it easier to untangle him from the bed. 

Tony snaked his arms under Peter’s legs and back, then hoisted up into his arms. He made sure Peter’s head fell against his chest so that his head didn’t snap back. Holding his kid, he descended down into the garage.

Tony opened the back-seat door and positioned Peter into his seat. As Tony was placing Peter into the seat, he felt Peter’s hands grab his shirt. When Tony tried to stand up and go to his seat, he was overjoyed by the fact that Peter held onto his shirt when he tried to let go of Peter. In his sleep, Peter needed Tony. It made Tony’s heart swelled with joy. He couldn’t help the smile that broke out. He looked down at the sleeping boy with so much love, it felt like his heart was going to burst.

Even though he wanted to scoop Peter back up into his arms and hold him, to protect him, he knew it was safer if Peter was strapped in his seatbelt rather than Tony’s lap. So sadly, Tony pried Peter’s hands off his shirt. 

After Tony settled himself into the seat next to Peter and double-checked Peter was securely buckled in, he nodded for Happy to go. Happy started the car and sped out of the Tower.

“He’s tired huh?” Happy commented.

“He stayed up last night, waiting for me to get home.”

“Aww, he really is your baby.” Happy joked. But Tony took it seriously.

“Yea, he really is,” Tony said softly as a fond smile crept up. 

They drove out of the city in silence. Peter was out cold, and that just left Tony and his thoughts. After his panic attack last night, Tony knew he had to get his fear over losing his son into check. At least in front of Peter and the Avengers.

Suddenly, Tony could hear Peter stirring. Tony glanced over, to see Peter rubbing his eyes. Peter blinked a few times, then looked around. 

“Wha- how did we get into a car?” Peter asked groggily. Then he noticed Happy in the driver’s seat. His eyes widened. “Happy?!”

“Morning kid.” Happy called back, not turning around.

“What- but- I thought you were on vacation?” Peter asked excitedly.

“I’m back.” 

“Yup,” Tony popped the p sound, “he missed us too much to stay away.”

“Ha ha ha.” Happy deadpanned. But he didn’t say any other snarky comments.

“Aww Happy, I’m flattered, you really did miss us!” Tony teased.

“I missed you too Happy!” Peter smiled such a pure smile, Tony felt like his heart would explode just looking at him.

“Hmm,” Happy grumbled. Happy was never one to get emotional in front of the kid, and especially not in front of his boss, but Happy was happy to be back. He had missed the kid’s annoying daily voicemails and his boss’s eccentric behavior.

“Where are we going?” Peter asked curiously and turned to Tony. 

“The compound,” Tony answered. “I thought it would be good for us to get some time outside.”

“Cool.” Peter smiled. He liked the compound, even though he had only been once, it was massive and had to have lots of cool tech. He was excited to explore, but he was even more excited about getting out of the tower. He was starting to feel like Rapunzel, trapped in a tower with no escaping. Peter really missed the freedom he had with May, but he was scared to ask Tony about it since he knew Tony would get mad. And really, Peter was so grateful. So so so grateful. If it wasn’t for Tony, he would have nowhere to go. He would be a lonely orphan since May seemed to hate him. And Tony was there for him… kinda like a dad. 

“We can train too,” Tony pointed out. It would be a controlled training, with numerous safety precautions set up. Tony hoped that it would be enough to satisfy Peter’s urge to be Spiderman. 

“Really?” Peter’s eyes lit up.

“Yup,” Tony popped the p. “We got everything a little spider like you could work on.”

“Yes!” Peter was now fully awake, and excited to get there. “Are we there yet?”

“If you start doing that kid, I will throw you out of the car.” Happy warned.

Peter sat back in a huff and crossed his arms. He blew the stray curl out of his face. Tony patted his knee.

“We’re close,” Tony smiled at Peter, who gave him a half smile back.

The rest of the ride was filled with discussions on the best Star Wars movie. For some unexplainable reason, Happy decided that it would be a good idea to mention that he hadn’t seen any of the movies. Peter proceeded to begin describing each movie scene by scene. He was about to start up with the opening scene for Return of the Jedi when they pulled up to the compound.

Happy cut Peter off from the monologue.

“We are here!” Happy rapidly got out of the car and ripped open the door for Tony, who was faking being asleep to avoid having to talk about Star Wars. Tony smiled up at Happy from where he was sitting.

“You know you could have saved me,” Happy grumbled out quietly to Tony. Tony smiled.

“Welcome back,” Tony patted Happy on the back.

“Thank you Happy!” Peter grinned at him as he scrambled out of the car after Tony.

“Yeah whatever, I’m going to go take a nap,” with that, Happy walked away from the father son duo.

“So, can we go train?” Peter asked with excitement.

“Sure kid.”

\--

She was thirty minutes late.

Steve checked his watch again to make sure he was right. Every day like clockwork, May came to Peter’s grave at 2 pm. It was now 2:34 pm, according to Steve’s watch. 

At least it was a nice afternoon for his shift to watch May. Steve didn’t mind discretely following her around. It gave him a chance to feel like he wasn’t one of earth’s mightiest heroes, and instead, he got to feel like a guy taking a walk in Queens. Granted, he realized it wasn’t normal to follow an innocent civilian, but it needed to be done. Tony believed she could try to show up at the tower, or discover Peter was alive somehow, and that could not happen. They could not allow it. The Avengers had to watch May in order to protect Peter.

Not that it really mattered, but Steve wondered where she was. Maybe she had left to go back to Miami? He would have to check with Tony later. He readjusted his hat, then shifted his sunglasses. Luckily, no one seemed to recognize him when he wasn’t wielding a shield and spandex.

He waited another 26 minutes, then promptly left the graveyard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you are still enjoying this story!
> 
> I think I'm getting closer to the end of this story. I probably have about 6 more chapters, still TBD though.


	15. The Day at the Compound

“Alright kid, try that jump again, and this time make sure you get a running start.” 

Tony and Peter had been practicing since they arrived. Tony insisted Peter work on his self-defense and escape tactics. He wanted Peter, not just Spiderman, to be able to protect himself.

So, for three hours, they worked on self-defense. From blocking punches, disabling someone with a weapon, Tony wanted to make sure Peter would be safe in case Tony couldn’t protect him. Not that Tony ever planned to leave Peter defenseless. He promised himself that he would always keep Peter safe.

Truth be told, Tony was never going to let Spiderman back out. He had made that decision the first few days of Peter being home. But he knew he couldn’t just take away Peter’s suit. Peter would be devastated. So, Tony would let Peter wear the suit only for training at the compound. The suit would stay here. It would be enough to satisfy Peter’s need to be Spiderman. It had to be.

Tony also made some major upgrades to the suit. Mainly, disablement and protective upgrades. If Peter so much as tried to put the suit on without Tony’s permission, nothing would work. Not even Karen. Only protective features such as the parachute would still work if needed. If Peter did something Tony didn’t approve of, Tony could automatically disable any feature as he pleased. He put a lot of extra protective features in. For example, he made the fabric bulletproof yet light enough for Peter to still jump around. He added an additional parachute, just in case.

As Peter leaped into the air, Tony followed closely behind in his Ironman suit. Even with the extra protection, Tony wanted to be close. Just in case. 

Peter’s web grabbed the bar, and he shot his next web and swung forward. He whooped excitedly. Finally. He had missed being Spiderman so much. Even just practicing was better than nothing. But Peter couldn’t wait until he was back out in Queens protecting people. He missed being Spiderman, and now that he was finally cleared by Bruce, he was ready to go back out.

“Nice work kid,” Tony commented. 

“Thanks, I coulda stuck the landing a little better, but – “ Peter was cut off.

“Common let’s go eat; I think we missed lunch. And you didn’t even eat breakfast!” Tony pointed out and gestured to leave the training room.

“No common, 5 more minutes! Pleaseeeee” Peter begged. He had missed this so much, he really needed a few more hours to finally feel some sense of normal. Since moving in with Tony, his life felt so different. But being Spiderman helped him feel okay, as if nothing had happened to him.

“No, now let’s go,” Tony wasn’t going to let his kid starve himself. With his super metabolism, he needed to eat like 3 hours ago. He reached out to grab Peter’s arm, but Peter webbed away at the last second.

“I’m not playing around Peter,” Tony said in a stern tone. In his suit, Tony quietly engaged the disabled protocol for the Spiderman suit and flew up to where Peter had webbed to.

“I’m not playing either, see I’m practicing,” Peter said cutely and tried to shoot another web to get away. But nothing came out. He tried again, and again nothing. 

“What the… Karen?” Peter quietly said. But he heard no response from Karen.

“Yea, we’re done here,” Tony swooped in and grabbed his kid under the armpits.

“Hey what did you do to my suit? My web-shooters aren’t working!” Peter kept trying to shoot a web to get out of Ironman’s hold. It was pointless anyways. Even if he could’ve shot a web, Ironman wouldn’t have let go of Peter anyways.

“What I had to do,” Tony stated in a bored tone.

“What are you talking about?” Peter asked, confused.

“You weren’t listening and it was time to go.”

“What so you disabled Karen? And my entire suit?” Peter cried out in frustration and tried to wiggle out of Tony’s grasp. But the Ironman suit was much stronger than Peter’s weak attempts to escape.

“If you can’t listen to me, we can’t practice,” Tony stated as he landed. But he didn’t let go of Peter. Instead, he turned Peter around to face him and kept a firm hold on his shoulders.

“That’s so unfair,” Peter muttered and looked down at his feet. Sometimes, it felt like he had no control over his life. Especially after the accident, it felt like everything was decided for him. Sometimes, he wanted to leave when Tony was being crazy controlling. But he had nowhere else he could go, and Tony had been nothing but kind. Peter rationalized that it was just Tony being nervous about the whole accident, and that eventually, he would let up. Or at least Peter hoped he would.

Tony let go of Peter and stepped out of his Ironman suit. Peter didn’t flinch back or try to run, so Tony smiled at him.

“Listen kid, it’s just to keep you safe,” Tony patted his kid on the shoulder. “Now common, you must be starving.”

Peter sighed. He wanted to keep complaining, run, scream, climb back up the wall. But a small voice in the back of his head kept reminding him he had no one else. No one else who could take Peter in. No one else who wanted to help him. So, Peter followed. 

\--

May had no idea what happened.

One minute, she was sitting at home, binging the Twilight series, when there was a knock on the door. But couldn’t seem to remember what the hell happened after she opened the door.

Wherever she was, she could feel she was tied up to a chair with her arms behind her back. There was something over her head so she couldn’t see anything. It was also eerily quiet. She could hear water droplets dripping from what sounded like a mile away.

Suddenly, she heard a metal door slam. She tensed up with fear. 

The pillowcase was lifted off of May’s head. As May’s eyes came into focus, she saw an older man hovering directly in front of her face. She could smell his breath, which reeked of onion.

“Good afternoon May Parker,” this man cackled out. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Who the fuck are you?” May gritted out, with a hint of fear in her voice.

“I’m Adrian Toomes, and you’re going to help me get what I deserve.”

“What the hell is that?” May asked worriedly.

“Revenge.” Toomes smirked. May shuttered.

\--

After a giant yet well-balanced dinner, in which Tony insisted Peter eat all his fruits and vegetables, Tony showed Peter around the living space. Tony opened up the door to Peter’s bedroom, and Peter gasped. It was larger than his room in the tower, and was decked out in Spiderman décor, and had the most advanced tech everywhere.

As Peter looked around, Tony forgot how quiet the compound could be at night when the rest of the Avengers weren’t there. If he was being honest, it made him nervous. Any sound was concerning. Tony started to wonder if maybe he should call Happy to come and pick them up to bring them back to the tower. But he knew Happy would be pissed if he changed the plans. There was no way he was going to convince Happy to drive from NYC to the compound to go right back. Happy might also judge him for being scared, so that wasn’t an option. They would have to wait until morning to leave.

“Tony, where’s the TV? Tony?” Peter asked as they stood in the living room.

Tony was so preoccupied with his thoughts he didn’t realize they had walked back into the living room, or that Peter had spoken to him.

“What?” Tony said, slightly out of it.

“I was wondering why there isn’t a TV in the living room.”

“Oh, we were supposed to get a new one, but I guess we never did.” Tony vaguely remembered there being a TV in the living room. But once the Avengers moved back into the Tower, he didn’t really keep track of where everything went in the move. He kinda remembered Steve complaining that Clint stole the TV for his room, but he didn’t really care. It was just a TV.

“Aw, I was hoping we would watch a movie like we do every night,” Peter sighed and looked down at his feet.

“I have a TV in my room,” Tony pointed out. “Why don’t you go shower and get into PJs, then we can watch a movie in my room.”

“Okay!” Peter smiled up at him and ran into his room in the compound to get ready.

Tony did the same. Secretly, Tony hoped Peter would fall asleep during the movie. That way, he could just sleep in the same room as Tony. Tony never imagined wanting to sleep with Peter, but if he was being honest, he was nervous to be in a different room as his kid when no one else was in the compound. Sure, they had Friday, but he felt safer having his son at his side during the night. Tony could maybe get a full nights’ rest knowing that Peter was safe next to him.

Tony was sitting in his bed in his pajamas checking his phone when he heard Peter knock on his door.

“Come in”

Peter stepped in timidly. Peter had never gone into Tony’s room. Neither at the compound nor in the Tower. He always assumed that Tony never wanted him in his bedroom.

“You going to stand there, or are you going to come and sit on the bed and watch the movie with me?” Tony smiled at Peter and patted the side of the bed next to him.

Peter grinned took that invitation and jumped onto the bed next to him.

“Have you ever seen this really old movie Aliens?” Peter asked happily. 

If Peter was being honest, he thought the compound was a bit spooky especially since that it was empty. And with it being dark outside, he felt nervous to be alone in a big building he was unfamiliar with. He felt a lot safer being in the same room as Tony. Maybe Tony would let him sleep here. He felt like his fear was childish, but nonetheless, being alone in a dark big unfamiliar place scared him.

“No” Tony rolled his eyes. He doubted it was that old of a movie, but anything before 2000 this kid considered old.

“You’ll like it!” Peter smiled over at Tony.

“You hear that Friday?”

“Yes boss, pulling up Aliens.” Friday teed up the movie, and both boys settled back into their spots.

Tony mostly paid attention to the movie. But he did notice Peter slowly sink further down into the bed. He went from sitting, to leaning back, to propping himself up with his elbows, to keeping his head up with his hands behind his head.

A little while later, he noticed Peter was on his back, sound asleep. Tony smiled down at his kid. Tony pulled the blankets up to Peter’s chin, careful not to wake him up. Tony combed his fingers through Peter's soft curls and smiled softly to himself. Seeing his kid asleep and safe next to him gave Tony the security he needed to let his eyes close. Tony tried to stay awake a little longer to watch his son sleep, but he could also feel sleep calling his name. He rested his head back on the pillow and fell asleep faster than he ever had before.


	16. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the compound trip, Tony and Peter return home to the Tower.

“We’re back!” Tony announced as the elevator doors opened to the Avengers common room. Peter followed closely behind and smiled at all the Avengers sitting on the couches.

“Finally, squirt is back!” Clint grinned and walked over to ruffle Peter’s hair.

“Yup Happy just dropped us off,” Peter bounced with excitement. It was nice to see everyone together.

After waking up in Tony’s bed, Peter felt well-rested. At first, he was worried that Tony would be mad that he had fallen asleep in his bed. But when Peter asked him, Tony just smiled and told Peter it was fine. That he would share his bed with his son any day, which only made Peter blush even harder.

“You have a lot of energy this morning Peter,” Bruce commented.

“I slept super well!” Peter smiled and his stomach growled. He walked over to the kitchen to look for a snack. He realized in the car he was super hungry but decided he didn’t want to annoy Happy by making him stop for food. He pulled open the fridge and looked for something.

Tony rolled his eyes and followed his kid into the kitchen. Tony spotted a banana on the counter and pushed it into Peter’s hand.

“Eat some fruit first and I’ll make you something else,” Tony commented.

“When did you start cooking?” Steve asked skeptically.

“You mean, when did Tony decide he wanted to burn down the Tower?” Nat quipped.

“Shut it Romanov and Rogers,” Tony shook his head in fake annoyance. His team loved to make fun of him. “I can cook.”

“Unlikely,” Clint retorted as he walked back to his original spot on the couch.

“What do you want to eat?” Tony asked Peter, ignoring Clint. Peter looked up, his mouth full of banana.

“Anything,” Peter said, still chewing on a mouth full of banana.

“Did you swallow that thing whole?” Bruce asked.

“I’m hungry,” Peter shrugged.

“Why didn’t you say anything in the car?” Tony asked, worried he was starving the poor kid.

“Happy doesn’t like to stop, you know how he gets,” Peter explained.

“Yeah well he’s not the boss,” Tony stated. “I am, and I want you to tell me when you’re hungry.”

“Got it boss,” Peter said cutely, pulling a granola bar out of the cabinet and quickly unwrapping it and shoving it into his mouth.

“God, don’t eat the wrapper,” Tony pulled the wrapper out of Peter’s hands. Peter smiled with a mouth full of food. 

“Anyways, what happened while we were gone?” Tony turned to the team, but quickly whipped his head around when he heard Peter cough.

Peter’s hands were on his throat, and he kept hacking. Tony immediately realized he was choking and rushed towards his kid.

“SHIT!” Tony yelled and motioned for Bruce to come over. Thank god there was a doctor in the mix. Tony could feel his next panic attack coming.

“Language!” Cap said, rushing over to help.

“Now’s not the time for that,” Bruce scolded, as he rushed over. 

Steve got there first and slapped Peter’s back hard. With Steve’s super strength, it dislodged the granola stuck in his throat. 

Peter panted to catch his breath, and Bruce quickly took his vitals, checked his throat to make sure he was breathing and lifted the back of Peter’s shirt to check that Cap didn’t break his back.

“He’s fine,” Bruce commented, mostly to Tony as he watched with wide, concerned eyes. “Peter, you can’t inhale your food like that. It’s not safe, you could choke.”

Peter nodded, and Bruce rubbed Peter’s back softly before walking back to his spot on the couch.

“Can I have some water?” Peter asked Tony who was hovering.

“Depends, are you going to choke on it?” Tony asked with sarcasm. But there was a hint of fear behind the question.

“To be fair, that was a really dry granola bar,” Peter argued, as Tony handed him a glass of water.

Peter tilted his head back to gulp it down, but Tony was quick to grab the glass and lower it so that it didn’t pour out all over his face.

“Tonyyyyyy” Peter wined.

“I have the authority to stop you from choking on anything you eat or drink,” Tony claimed. Peter just rolled his eyes.

“Oh common, I’m not a baby.”

“You just choked. Both you and a baby don’t seem to know how to chew. Besides, I have a weak heart, I can’t take all your near-death experiences.”

“Sorry,” Peter said softly and looked down at his feet. He kinda felt bad. “I don’t mean to stress you out so much.”

“It’s fine, what else are teenagers for?” Tony smiled, and slung his arm around his kid, and guided them both to the couches. The pair sat down in the empty spots next to Nat on the couch.

“So, what did you do with your dad at the Compound?” Nat asked.

“We trained!” Peter explained with a grin. “And I got to try some new webs, and then we had some food then watched Aliens. Have you seen that movie?” 

“No is it good?” Nat asked

“It’s really good! It’s kinda old though,” Peter smiled.

“Capsicle over here knows a thing or two about oldness.” Tony joked.

“Haha, very funny.” Steve deadpanned. “Hey did your dad show you all the old Ironman suits? He’s got them all over the compound. Pretty sure Mark 42 is stationed permanently in my room to spy on me.” 

“Someone’s gotta be there to change your old man diapers.” Tony teased.

“At least he didn’t put a 10-foot tall bunny in your room. Did you know your dad gave Pepper one for Christmas once?” Clint laughed as he spoke.

“Hey, that’s normal!” Tony argued.

“Sure, it is,” Bruce rolled his eyes. Peter laughed.

They sat and talked with the rest of the Avengers for a while. Tony was surprised how happy he was to just hang out with the rest of the Avengers and his kid, minus Thor who was out looking for Toomes.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tony noticed Steve looking at him.

“Is there something on my face Cap?” Tony interrupted Bruce who was explaining to the group how gamma radiation could definitively prove some black holes are actually just wormholes.

“Tony, can I talk to you for a second?” Steve asked as he stood up.

“Well, I guess I don’t have a choice.” Tony stood, and Peter watched Steve and his dad leave.

Peter sat back, then his eyes widened. Did he just think of Tony as his dad? He scratched his head, wondering why his mind automatically started calling Tony dad. Maybe it was all the dad talk - all the Avengers kept calling him his dad.

“You look like you’re thinking too hard,” Nat commented quietly to Peter. Peter noticed that Clint had started talking to Bruce about ways they could improve his arrows.

“It’s just…” Peter’s mind drifted back off to wondering whether or not he could and should call Tony his dad. He saw him as his dad already, so was it alright?

“You can tell me Peter, maybe I can help you solve that puzzle you’re stuck on.”

“Well, it’s just, Tony. Is it okay that I think of him as my dad? Like, do I call him my dad?” Peter whispered out the dad part, worried that Tony might somehow hear him. “Because he’s like my dad, he’s been there for me ever since the accident, and even before the accident, he was always kinda like a dad to me. Now it just feels like, really real, you know? We're a lot closer. And he keeps calling me his son, and I keep thinking of him as my dad.”

“He is your dad,” Nat answered honestly. “I think, you should call him whatever you want. But I think if you see him as your dad, you should call him that. I know he wouldn’t be mad. He probably would love it.”

“You think so?” Peter asked nervously.

“I do.” Nat nodded with a smile. “He thinks of you as a son. And you think of him as your father, right?”

“Yea, I really do.” Peter nodded. If it wasn’t for Tony, Peter didn’t know where he’d be now. If Tony didn’t take him in after the accident and after May abandoned him, Peter didn’t think he’d be in as good of a state without Tony.

“Then that makes him your dad. Blood doesn’t make someone your family. Dads take care of their kids, and Tony takes care of you for sure.”

“Hmm, yea, he does. He kinda hovers sometimes.” Peter admitted.

“It’s only because he wants you, his SON, to be safe. He’s protective of you because he loves you. I think he’s a good dad.” Nat smiled and gave Peter’s shoulder a light squeeze.

“I think so too,” Peter smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am trying to wrap up this story. I think it'll be 21 chapters total, but I still haven't finished. Also, this is probably one of the last chapters with fluff so be prepared...
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me so far!


	17. The Discussion

“What do you want Cap?” Tony asked as he closed the Avenger’s conference room door behind him. 

“It’s about May,” Steve stated quietly. Tony made a displeased face but didn’t interrupt. “She didn’t go to visit the grave yesterday.”

“What?” Tony was taken aback. They had been tracking her, and she hadn’t missed a single day from being at Peter’s grave. She would never give up the opportunity to visit the grave, Tony knew how much May was hurting. A surge of panic started to set in. “Did you find out why?”

“No, like you said, I didn’t go near her apartment,” Steve explained.

"Maybe you should go poke around her apartment building incognito," Tony contemplated.

"You and I both know it's too risky. She sees any of us in her building and she could recognize any of the Avengers even in disguise." Steve reasoned.

Tony stood there nervously and ran his hands through his hair. He thought for a moment as he formulated his plan.

“Alright, tomorrow, go to the grave again like usual. If you don’t see her, call me okay? It’s probably nothing, maybe something came up.” Tony said, trying to comfort himself.

“Why not answer her calls?” Steve asked.

“She stopped calling after a dozen or so tries.” Tony shrugged. It was fine with him. Better that way. Good riddance.

“Hm,” Steve was about to open his mouth when the door swung open. Both men’s head shot up to look who was interrupting.

Thor.

“Does Asgard not teach knocking?” Tony quipped.

“I have acquired information on the whereabouts of Toomes,” Thor stated, looking down at Steve and Tony.

The blood drained from Tony and Steve's faces.

“Thor, what do you know,” Steve asked, taking a step towards Thor.

“There is a rumor that he shall be at a warehouse in Queens tomorrow evening. I overheard two men we suspect to be associates of Toomes talking, and they discussed meeting Toomes at that very warehouse.”

“I’ll be there,” Tony stated.

“I’ll come with,” Steve added, placing a comforting hand on Tony’s shoulder.

“No, we can’t spook him. One is enough to take him down. It must be me,” Tony shook his head and looked Steve directly in the eye. “It has to be me. For Peter.”

“I don’t like this,” Steve admitted.

“You don’t have to. You just watch my kid alright? Just think of it like any other night I’m out patrolling for Toomes.”

“You should take backup. I should come just in case.” Steve argued.

“No. I trust you the most to protect Peter.”

“Peter is safe in the Tower,” Steve reasoned.

“Please, my weak heart won’t let me leave if no one is here to protect Peter.”

“Seriously?” Steve asked.

“Seriously.” Tony stated. He wouldn't have it any other way. 

“Alright fine.” Steve sighed. “But you call any of us and we will come immediately.”

“You got it Cap,” Tony patted Steve and Thor on the back as he walked out of the room to his kid.

After Tony closed the door behind him, Steve turned back to Thor.

“How fast can your hammer get you to that warehouse?”

“I am fast. I am mighty after all.” Thor grinned.

Steve rolled his eyes.

“In case needed, you should go. You could get there the fastest.”

“And you recognize I am the most powerful Avenger.” Thor grinned.

“I never said that!” Steve complained.

“You did not have to; your request is forthcoming.”

Steve shook his head and rolled his eyes, and left a beaming Thor alone in the conference room.

\--

“Did he hear you?” Toomes asked as his men walked into the warehouse.

“Yes sir.”

“You’re sure he thinks it’s this warehouse?”

“Of course sir.”

“And you’re sure he will tell Stark?”

“Yes sir.”

Toomes grinned. Everything was going exactly according to plan. 

May was still tied to the chair, blood dripping down her legs. She held back a sob.


	18. The Realization

After their conversation yesterday, Tony kept a close eye on Peter. He worried that someone on the team would accidentally spill that May was missing. Or that Toomes escaped prison. Or that they knew where Toomes would be that night. So, Tony kept Peter close and constantly reminded the other Avengers to zip it.

But all too soon, it was time for Tony to go. Time to take down Toomes, once and for all.

“Common! Please can I come?”

“I already said no,” Tony stated, looking down at his kid.

“Oh common, Spiderman could help you out with whatever your secret mission is.”

When Tony got up and disappeared, only to come back wearing his Ironman suit, Peter was immediately up off the couch, chomping at the bit to get out. 

“Like you just said, it’s a secret mission,” Tony explained.

“Pleaseeeeee, I promise I can keep it a secret,” Peter begged. 

Anything to get him out of the Tower. He hadn’t gone out as Spiderman. He hadn’t even walked out of the Tower since the accident! He didn’t even have his phone, so he couldn’t even talk to Ned. The trip to the compound was the only time he left, but that wasn’t freedom and it did nothing to satisfy Peter’s itch to be independent. He had been nothing but patient. And finally, something interesting was happening and he couldn’t come! 

“It’s too dangerous, and not your job kid. Besides, you left your suit at the compound.” Even though Peter realized his suit was missing in the first ten minutes of the car ride home, when he asked Happy to turn around immediately once he realized, Tony said no. That they’d get it soon enough when they went back to the compound.

“Spiderman can help! I can wear my homemade suit! But I’m not sure where it is. Please let me come, I’m bored.”

“Sorry kiddo. I’ll be back later.” Tony said fondly, ruffling Peter’s hair. He turned his attention to Steve. “Capsicle, I’m leaving you in charge. Keep the tower safe.”

“You got it Tony,” Steve walked over, smiled, and clapped Peter’s back lightly. 

Tony smiled, let his helmet encase his head, then went to the landing pad and took off. 

“Well kid, what do you want to do?” Steve asked looking down at the boy.

“Oh squirt! Come over here, let’s play Mario Kart.” Clint called out, waving him over. Peter smiled sadly and joined him and Thor on the couch. There was no point in taking his frustration out on the other Avengers anyway. The other Avengers lingered, not having anything else to do. Bruce continued reading his book, while Steve cooked and Nat observed everyone carefully. After a round of Mario Kart with Clint and Thor, which Peter won, the elevator door opened, and Happy joined the mix. 

Happy walked in front of Peter, blocking his view of the TV.

“Happy can you please move? I can’t see.”

“You’re not even going to say hi to your uncle Happy?” Happy rolled his eyes. “Rude.”

“Hi Happy,” Peter grumbled, “now can you move?”

“Alright kiddo,” Happy agreed, ruffling his hair. 

But after about 1 hour, Peter was bored out of his mind. Like always. Living with Tony and the Avengers was starting to get mundane. He did the same thing over and over again, and he had no freedom to make any choices. He so desperately wanted to be back out there as Spiderman. He still didn’t get why Tony wouldn’t let him get his Spiderman suit from the compound. It wasn’t fair. He just wanted to help the little guy. Sometimes, he so badly wanted to leave, but there was nowhere else for him to live safely as Spiderman.

Peter sighed, and slumped back onto the couch, letting the controller dangle from his hands.

“What’s wrong Spider-baby?” Clint asked, confused as to why his opponent suddenly gave up.

“Looks like it’s time for a certain Spider-baby’s nap.” Happy taunted. 

“Need me to carry you to bed son?” Steve asked.

“No, I’m fine. And I don’t need a nap, I’m not a baby.” Peter complained, rolling his eyes.

“On Asgard, you would be deemed an infant! I myself am still young at 1500 years.”

“Tell that to the picture Tony sent all of us yesterday of you falling asleep during the movie Peter,” Bruce added.

“Hey that’s not fair, it was late!” Peter argued, but to no avail.

“Past your bedtime huh?” Clint joked, and Peter chucked a pillow at Clint, which he easily caught and threw back.

“I’m going up to me and Tony’s floor then.” Peter sighed, getting up. He looked out the window and realized the sun had already set. Great, another night he couldn’t go out and save lives.

“Let us know if you need anything,” Steve said fondly.

“K” Peter mumbled and walked into the elevator.

When the elevator dinged, alerting Peter that he had reached the penthouse, he was looking down at his feet. Maybe it was the frustration he felt about being stuck here or the taunts from earlier that distracted him. But his Spider-sense immediately flared as the doors opened, and his head shot up. 

He wasn’t prepared for what he saw next.

\--

Tony didn’t get it. He was in the right place, at the right time. Thor insisted it was this warehouse. He was sure of it.

Yet no one was here.

Tony walked around the warehouse after FRIDAY confirmed he was the only living thing in the building. 

He saw restraints. Chains. A chair. Small drops of dried blood. Some weaponry. It was definitely shady. But where was Toomes? And what was he doing? So far, he had nothing to confirm this was even Toomes. The weapons weren’t even alien tech. 

So why was he led here? Did Thor hear something wrong? Maybe Thor meant another time or place. This warehouse seemed old and abandoned. The blood was clearly dried, and Tony had definitely seen more advanced tech. When was the last time someone was here?

That’s when he saw the board. The whiteboard was covered in notes. Notes about Spiderman’s abilities. Notes about his healing factor. Notes about Peter Parker. Pictures of Spiderman in action, as well as Peter’s school picture. 

Pages of detailed notes about the accident that nearly killed Peter was in the center of the whiteboard.

Tony stood there shocked. That’s when he realized the truth. It wasn’t an accident. Someone tried to kill Peter. The plans were detailed too. Every last detail was thought out. From the angle they hit the car, to the traffic lights. It was very VERY intentional. 

_Hell, he was never letting that kid out of his sight again._

“Sir,” Friday spoke hesitantly into Tony’s earpiece, “Toomes has entered the Penthouse.”

“WHAT?!” Tony screamed; his voice thick with panic.

“And he is not alone,” Friday warned. Tony could feel the panic attack coming

“Friday, get Rogers to my penthouse ASAP.”

Tony didn’t wait a second longer. He took off, blasting through the roof, thrusting himself to go faster. 

He only hoped he could be fast enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh Oh!!!!!
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me so far, we will see shit hit the fan next chapter.


	19. The Fight

Peter stood in the middle of the penthouse, his heart in his throat. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“Ma- May?” Peter said, with tears in his eyes. 

Adrian Toomes, the Vulture who Peter fought, defeated, and got sent to prison, was holding his aunt by the throat. Tightly. Two large men stood behind him. Peter had no idea how they got in, but it had to have something to do with Toomes’ new and improved Vulture suit. The Vulture looked stronger. Faster. Ready to kill.

“Well, if it isn’t the Spiderboy.” Vulture laughed, dropping May to the ground. She landed with a thud and gasped for air. Even from across the room, Peter could see all the cuts and bruises littered all over her body. Some looked like they were new, some looked like they were a few days old. What scared Peter was that they looked like painfully deep cuts.

“Peter,” May choked out, barely lifting her head off the ground. “You’re” She took another raspy breath. “Alive.”

“May? What’s going on? Why are you here?” Peter was so confused. But most of all, he was worried. What was happening? He trusted his Spider senses when they screamed how much danger he was in, especially with Toomes here.

“Peter,” May gasped out. Despite the evident pain in her voice, Peter could also hear the wonder in her statement.

Even if his aunt hated him, even if she didn’t want him, even if she blamed him for everything bad that had ever happened to them, it didn’t change how much he still loved her. Missed her. Cherished her. He didn’t have his Spiderman suit, but dammit, he was going to protect her from Toomes. He wouldn’t let Toomes touch her again. He was going to show her that he was worth it, Spiderman and everything. That family was everything.

“I am here,” Toomes stated. “For my revenge. You see, I wasn’t suited for prison. And that asshole Stark put me in Raft. Ha, as if I belonged there.”

“Get away from my Aunt,” Peter yelled taking a step forward.

“I brought her here, to make you suffer. You watching me kill her will bring me so much joy, you won’t understand how delighted I am for this to happen. For you to get what you deserve.”

“Leave her out of this!” Peter screamed. But Toomes ignored him and continued.

“Then, I’m going to kill you. I’ll kill you before Stark returns from the trap I set for him in that warehouse. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he sees you’re dead. His precious protégé. Ha!”

“Why? I saved your life!” 

“You both took everything from me, so I will take everything from you and Stark.”

“No!” Peter lunged forward, trying to tackle the Vulture. But Toomes flew out of the way. If only Peter had his suit, he could web him up. But his suit was still sitting uselessly in the compound. 

The two big goons behind Toomes took the opportunity to gang up on Peter. Despite their size, they were no match for Peter. Even without the suit, Peter had his spider senses and his super strength. Peter felt the first guy approach, and immediately punched the first guy in the head so hard he was unconscious before his head even hit the ground. 

Peter dodged the other big guy's punch easily. Peter swung his legs and swept the guy off his feet. With the guy on the ground, Peter kicked him so furiously that he heard bones crack.

Peter turned to see the Vulture watching with an amused and wicked smile. Peter picked up a lamp next to one of the couches and chucked it as hard as he could at the Vulture’s head. The Vulture was faster though. He grabbed it midair and chucked it right back at Peter. Peter dodged it by jumping over the couch and crashed onto the ground. 

Peter whipped his head back up and saw Toomes flying down at May. Peter immediately sprinted and pushed his aunt out of the way and only barely evaded the Vulture. They tumbled down together, with Peter spinning May around so that he took the grunt of the fall.

Peter looked up to see the Vulture aiming at both of them.

Peter did what he could to prepare. He knew if he tried to jump and attack Toomes, he would leave May vulnerable and Toomes would shoot his Aunt. So, he pushed May behind him, blocking her from the Vulture. There was no other way to protect her. He couldn’t stop the tears from forming in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Peter cried out and turned around to hug his aunt, his spider sense screaming in anticipation of the shot to ripple through his back at any moment.

But before Vulture could fire, a flurry of red, white, and blue knocked the weapon out of Toomes’s hand. Peter looked up fast enough to see Captain America’s shield knock the weapon out of Toomes’ hands only to rebound and return to its owner.

Steve grabbed his shield midair. When Friday alerted him of the danger, all he had time to do was grab his shield and tell everyone to get to the penthouse ASAP. Peter was in danger and he needed the Avengers. 

Thor swung his hammer and smashed the alien weapon Toomes dropped. Clint shot an arrow at the Vulture’s left-wing as Steve rushed forward to rip the other wing off of the Vulture. As Toomes stumbled back, Nat quickly kicked him in the back of the knee and yanked him into a chokehold as he fell.

“Why are you here Toomes?” Steve demanded.

“Revenge, isn’t it obvious?” Toomes choked out, gasping for air in Nat’s chokehold.

“What revenge is it that you seek?” Thor commanded.

“Tony made my life a living hell in the raft. I wanted him to feel how I feel. To know what kind of pain I felt every damn day. I couldn’t see my daughter or my wife. He took so much from me.”

“And I’m going to take a whole hell of a lot more from you too,” Tony growled.

As Tony had flown in, he was relieved to see Peter was alive. And that the team had protected him. Holding his hands up, he nodded to Nat to let go; to get out of the way. She pushed him to the ground hard, and he stumbled in front of Tony’s feet. 

“You’ll never be able to hurt Peter again,” Tony whispered, then blasted Toomes with the full force of his repulsors.

Peter hugged his aunt tightly and turned away from the light of the blast. Peter felt so overwhelmed by everything that had just happened. But he was somewhat surprised when May hugged him back just as tightly and ran her fingers through his messy curls. 

Even though Toomes was dead in front of him, Peter’s spider senses still ached with concern.

“Peter oh my god,” May cried out. “How are you alive?”

“May I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to put you in danger. I – I, I’m sorry! I really miss you and I want to come home. May, I can be less trouble, I promise. Please please, let me come back! I need you, Aunt May.” 

Peter stood up shakily, tears streaming down his face as he spoke. He offered a hand out to May, who took it. Peter pulled her up but didn’t let go of her hand.

“Wha- what? Peter, how are you alive?” May reached out to brush her nephew’s cheek. She couldn’t believe he was alive. She couldn’t believe she was touching his soft warm skin.

“I swear, I can stop being Spiderman if that’s the issue. I’ll stop losing backpacks and I’ll clean up more around the apartment. And I’ll study Spanish more, it’s a hard subject, but please May, I’ll do anything I-.”

“PETER,” May interrupted his rambling by putting her hands on his shoulder and pulling him into a hug. He hugged her back and took a deep breath. He was happy to be back in her arms.

“Wait what?” Peter asked, breaking the hug, somewhat confused.

“How are you alive? You were killed in the accident!”

“What? No, I wasn’t! I got hurt yea, but I’m alive! Wait what?” Peter was super confused. Why did May think he was dead?

“Peter, we had a funeral for you."

"Are you serious?" Peter asked, his jaw dropped.

"Everyone thinks your dead,” May explained.

“What!? I’m not dead! I was in medbay, and you never came! Tony said you didn’t want me around after the accident.”

“Tony said that? Peter, I never stopped wanting you around."

"Really? You mean that?" Peter questioned, his eyes full of hope.

"Obviously! You're my nephew. Now I'm confused. Tony told me you were dead. He even helped put on the funeral…” May’s voice trailed off.

It clicked for both Peter and May at the same time.

They looked up at the man who ripped them apart, only to see his hand was raised and pointed at May.

As his hand got brighter, Peter jumped in front of May.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shit is going down! More shit will happen!
> 
> Thoughts?


	20. The Bigger Fight

Tony pulled his hand down the second Peter jumped in the way. There was no way he was going to accidentally shoot his kid, but there was also no way he was letting him leave with May.

“Peter let’s talk about this,” Tony said, taking a step forward. Peter took a step back, firmly holding May behind him.

“There’s nothing to talk about here! You lied to me! You told me May didn’t love me! Why would you do something like that?”

“It’s always been to protect you Peter; you are safer with me,” Tony explained.

“Safer? Are you kidding me? Look at what just happened! This is all your fault!”

“Toomes was trying to kill you! If it weren't for me, you’d be dead.”

“If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve been able to defend myself and May with Spiderman! And we wouldn’t have even been here in the first place!”

“Toomes tried to kill you in the accident, it wasn’t safe for you to be outside,” Tony said, hoping to calm down Peter so he could get him to step away from his aunt.

“But you lied to me. And May. The whole world thinks I’m dead because of you. You didn’t have to do this. How could you do this to me and May?”

“Everything I do, I do to protect you!”

“This isn’t protection! You wouldn’t let me go outside for a walk, or go out as Spiderman. Hell, you didn’t even let me go on the landing pad!” Peter screamed with tears in his eyes.

“Language!” Steve reprimanded. Peter turned to Steve, tears in his eyes.

“You! You’re supposed to be Captain America! Protecting our freedom. That’s bullshit! You – and all of the Avengers went along with all of this! You didn’t even try to talk Tony out of this!” Peter screamed and looked around at all the other Avengers. Everyone Avenger was there, even Happy stood off to the side looking mortified at the scene in front of him.

“There was no other way to protect you,” Steve explained.

“Yes, there was! You could have stopped this! You could have let me be with May! It’s not fair, I love my aunt! She’s all I have, she's my only family left.”

“We are your family.” Nat pointed out.

“No, you kidnapped me! You all let Tony take me from my life! You all ripped apart my life for your stupid, selfish, fake reasons!” Peter cried out in frustration.

How could Tony do this to him? For so long, Peter had lived with the guilt that he hurt May so badly for being himself, but that wasn’t even true. May still loved him, she never stopped loving him. And she missed him while he was ‘dead.’ She never wanted to be separated from her nephew, and he wished every day he could go home to his aunt. 

Tony glanced over at Steve, who nodded. Steve understood. Tony was glad to have the super soldier immediately understand what had to be done. The times spent talking with the Avengers about Peter and his safety was time well spent. 

“Peter, I know it doesn’t seem like protection, but you’re too young to comprehend,” Tony explained in a calm voice.

_Steve took a small step closer to Peter and May._

“But I’m old enough! I’m old enough to know how fucked up this is Tony,” May shouted. “You lied about my nephew being dead! You lied to him about me abandoning him! That’s a felony! You can’t just do whatever you want. I mourned him and missed him every day. You Tony Stark, are a horrible person!”

_Steve took another step closer._

“May, you can barely support yourself, let alone Peter! You can’t even buy him enough food for his enhanced metabolism or get him new clothing when all of his clothes are littered with holes. You can’t even get him a new backpack when he needs one! What kind of life is that for him? He deserves way more. I provide him that.”

_Steve took one more step close. If Peter took one more step forward, he would be within arm’s reach._

“But I love her Tony, I missed her every day and I belong with her. She’s my family. I need to live with my aunt, you have to understand that.” Peter said with tears in his eyes, taking a small step towards Tony away from May. 

_That step was Peter’s biggest mistake._

“I understand,” Tony said and looked at Cap for confirmation. “But I can never accept that.”

With Tony’s words still hanging in the air, Steve lunged forward and grabbed Peter. He pulled Peter to his chest and hugged the boy with all his super strength. Peter tried with all his strength to escape. But his super strength was no match for Steve’s. He twisted, kicked, arched his back, elbowed, and screamed, but Steve’s strong arms were wrapped around his waist so tightly, and he wasn’t letting go.

Tony quickly raised his repulsors and shot May. She went flying back and smashed into the floor with a thud. She didn’t even move. She was dead before she hit the ground.

“NOOOO!!!” Peter screamed, with tears rapidly flowing down his face. He kicked as hard as he could, but it was too late to save May. 

Steve let him go and dropped him, and Peter crumpled to the ground. He crawled over to May’s body. Peter’s whole body began to shake as he got closer. He tried to see if she was still alive. When he realized she was beyond saving, he lost it. He sobbed into her chest, unaware of anything else going on around him. All he could do was clinging to May’s body and weep. She was already getting cold. 

Tony watched in horror. He knew the means always justified the end, but this was painful to watch.

“Friday?” Tony asked quietly, still within his suit.

“Yes boss?”

“Is the drug prepared for injection?”

“It is ready for you, boss.”

Tony had prepared for this. Well, really he was prepared for hundreds of different scenarios, but he was prepared nonetheless. The hundreds of protocols he put in back on the first day Peter came home were critical. 

_Protocol number 12. If Peter sees something he shouldn’t have, the synthesized drug to wipe the last 24 hours of Peter’s memory is to be unlocked from the closest location, either from the storage unit within the Ironman suit or from the closest safe that is installed in every single room._

Tony was ready, he always would be for his son. Tony would do anything and everything to bring him closer to his son.

The compartment in Tony’s suit opened to reveal the needle and the dark blue fluid that he and Bruce worked hours on to perfect. Tony shot a glance to Bruce, who nodded, which confirmed and reassured Tony that what he was doing was right. Tony took it out of the compartment and quietly walked up to his crying son. He looked down and watched Peter cry. Tony knew he would never be able to get the image of May out of his head, but at least Peter would be able to. Peter would never remember this day.

Tony stuck the needle in his son’s neck. He felt his boy stiffen below him, but a second later, his body went lax. The formula was mixed with strong sedatives, and the effects were immediate.

Tony plucked his son up off of the dead body and turned to the rest of the Avengers. Tony’s helmet retracted and he looked down at his son in his arms. He gently cradled his son, making sure his head fell against his chest. 

“Clean this up by morning. Not a trace of this ever happening. He can never know.” Tony explained and walked away from May one last time.

Tony fumbled to opened up Peter’s bedroom door. He walked over to Peter’s bed and gently laid his kid down. Once Tony got out of his suit, he made quick work of getting Peter ready for bed. He quickly stripped him, got a warm towel to wipe away the blood and grime on his arms and legs, and put pajamas on his boy. Tony was surprised at how limp all his limbs were from the sedatives but he continued to get him ready. Tony pulled back the covers and shifted Peter under them so he was wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets. After he finished fussing over his son’s blankets, Tony noticed how Peter looked so normal lying in his bed. As if he was asleep like it was a regular night, not that he was knocked out by sedatives. In the dim light, Tony could see the tear streaks on Peter’s cheeks. Tony took his thumb and rubbed them away. Satisfied, he leaned down and planted a kiss on his son’s forehead. 

Tony sighed, and stood up and went to the door. He looked back at his kid, hoping that the drug would work. That tomorrow, Peter would finally be his forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO sorry I killed May.
> 
> Hope you have enjoyed this story! One more chapter to wrap things up!


	21. The Epilogue

Peter’s eyes felt heavy. He felt dazed. Confused. Somewhat floaty. Where was he? Peter felt around him, and his fingertips curled around the familiar soft blankets from his room in the tower. 

He didn’t remember falling asleep. The last thing he could remember was talking to Nat about calling Tony his dad. It was odd, he felt like he just had a horrible nightmare, worse than any nightmare he had ever had before. But he couldn’t remember anything. If it was so horrible, why didn’t he remember? He figured he must not have had a nightmare.

Peter rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. He slowly sat up, fighting the fatigue. The sun was pouring into his room, and he blinked a few more times to adjust to the sunlight. He rubbed his forehead, trying to remember his dream. But it came up blank. 

Peter thought back to the conversation he had with Nat about Tony. His dad. His dad must have carried him to bed last night. Peter felt like something must have changed overnight, but he wasn’t sure what. He felt like things were different, but he wasn’t sure how.

As if he could read Peter’s thoughts, a familiar knock came from the door. The door opened, only to reveal the man of his thoughts.

“Hey kiddo, how’d you sleep?” Tony asked, hiding the nervousness he felt. Did it work? Did Peter remember what happened? Or did he completely forget yesterday like Tony so desperately hoped?

“Okay, I guess,” Peter’s voice was hoarse, it almost hurt to speak. Peter coughed a little, trying to get rid of the sleep in his voice.

“Need some water?” Tony asked, and Peter nodded and rubbed his eyes. For some reason, Peter still felt sleepy.

Tony turned to go to the kitchen, and Peter kicked the covers off and followed him.

As Tony poured the glass of water, Peter stood by the couches and watched. When Tony looked up and saw his son watching him, he smiled at him. Tony walked over, and handed him the glass. Tony could see that the drug was still lingering in his system, making Peter look exhausted. So Tony lightly guided Peter to the couch with a soft hand on his shoulders.

“Hey what happened to the lamp that was here?” Peter asked with a daze as they passed the tabled that once held the lamp.

“Oh, I uh... didn’t like it anymore.” Tony lied, sitting down on the couch and guiding Peter to sit next to him.

As Peter plopped down next to Tony, he chugged the water, not realizing how thirsty he had been. He set the glass down on the coffee table as Tony turned on the TV. Peter leaned back into the couch, his shoulder touching Tony’s. Tony moved his arm so that he could pull Peter closer to him so that Peter’s head was resting on his chest.

“Thanks, dad,” Peter mumbled, leaning further into his dad. 

Peter effortlessly drifted back to sleep, lulled by the feeling of being safe in his father’s arms.

Tony grinned. He won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the twists and turns. I love dark Irondad and am thinking through some more ideas for my next fic.
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me on my first fic!!!!


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